
Qass. 
Book. 






H.\\^VIc>tVa ruouuv^NfcT^ ■as^a c\*t( i>r\' 



EXERCISES 



CONNECTED WITU THE 



ItnvciUug at i\u (Mmvaxih ^m\mmU 



MECHANICA ILLE, 



May 27, 1874. 



i^' 




ALBANY, N. Y. : 
JOEL MUNSELL 

1875. 



f 



At a meeting of the Ellsworth Monument Association 
held at the residence of Capt. E. D. Ellsworth, April 30th, 
1875, it was unanimously voted that the balance of money 
in the treasury, $^79. 60, be appropriated to the publication 
of the proceedings at the inauguration of the monument, 
as a memorial volume. 

Bernice D. Ames, 

Secretary. 



31n flpemortam. 



MONUMENT TO COL. ELLSWORTH. 



ESTTRODUCTORY. 

BY REV. BERNICE DARWIN AMES, A.M. 

WMle Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth was stationed at Wash- 
ington with his regiment of Fire Zouaves, in the spring of 
1861, Willard's Hotel took fire. The Fire Zouaves were of 
great service in putting an end to the conflagration. In tes- 
timony of his gratitude, Mr. Willard presented Col. Ells- 
worth with $500; Col. Ellsworth sent it to the ^NTew York 
fire committee, under whose auspices the regiment had 
been raised, to be devoted to providing medals for such 
members of the regiment as should survive. On the death 
of Col. Ellsworth the committee voted to appropriate the 
money to the erection of a monument to his memory. A 
general interest was felt in the erection of such a monu- 
ment, and in Saratoga county a committee to take charge 
of the matter was appointed, consisting of Hon. James B. 
McKean, Gen. E. F. BuUard and Lewis E. Smith, with 
Gen. James M. Cook as treasurer. 

It is believed that considerable sums of money were 
raised at this time throughout the country and in the army 
for the Ellsworth monument, but if so it is not known what 
became of it, for very little ever reached this committee. 
The momentous events of the war followed in such rapid 
succession, that the subject of building monuments for fallen 
heroes was driven from the minds of the people, the absorb- 
ing question was, how can the life of the nation be saved ? 



6 

After the close of tlie war, occasional attempts were made 
to proceed with the matter, but all, for some reason or other, 
were fruitless. In the meantime. Col. Koah L. Farnham, 
the lieutenant colonel and successor of Col. Ellswortli in 
command of the regiment, had died of wounds received at 
Bull Run, and half of the funds in the hands of the New 
York fire committee had been devoted to the erection of a 
monument to his memory. Among other ways in which 
the matter was pressed upon the attention of the people of 
Mechanicville, the subject was repeatedly agitated in the 
Mechanicville Star in 1871, the only apparent result of which 
was the eliciting of the following letter which explains 
itself : 

To the Editor of the Mechanicville Star : 

Sir : My attention was called to-day to an article in 
your paper of May 6th in relation to the Ellsworth monu- 
ment fund, the writer of which does not appear to me 
to be fully conversant with the history of the fund in my 
hands, and for the purpose of having a better understand- 
ing of the matter I make the following explanation : 

While Col. Ellsworth with his regiment of Fire Zouaves 
was in Washington, a fire occurred at Willard's Hotel, 
threatening a very extensive conflagration. Through the 
activity and daring displayed by the members of the regi- 
ment its progress was stayed, and the hotel saved from de- 
struction. This was so highly appreciated by Mr. Willard, 
that he gave to Col. Ellsworth |500 for the use of the regi- 
ment. This money the colonel gave over to our committee 
just before the advance on Alexandria where the colonel 
lost his life. Our committee, that is the committee that or- 
ganized and equipped the first regiment of Fire Zouaves, 
have with this $500 added a balance of unexpended money 
remaining in their hands after the war, and judiciously in- 
vested the same, until about the 1st of January last it 
amounted to $1,261. At a meeting of the committee at 
that time, it was decided by vote that the money be equally 
divided and appropriated for monuments to the memory 



of Col. Ellsworth, and Col. Farnham, the successor of 
Col. Ellsworth in command of the regiment, whose death 
was caused by wounds received at Bull Run. This money 
has been placed in my hands for distribution, and the 
only restrictions regarding it are that some recognition of 
the Volunteer Fire Department of New York, from which 
the regiment was organized, should be placed on the 
monument and that satisfactory evidence be given me of 
the erection of the monument, our object being to have 
the money expended for that purpose and no other. 

I have placed the money in the Metropolitan Savings 
Bank of this city and will pay the same over with the ac- 
cumulation, as soon as the monument is erected, being 
$630.50 with interest from Ist January last. 

Yours respectfully, 
A. F. OcKERSHAUSEN, 380 South St., 
Chairman of the Committee of the 

First Regiment Fire Zouaves. 
New York, June Ist, 1871. 

In the summer of 1872, Rev. Hiram Dunn volunteered 
to enter the field to canvass for subscriptions for the Ells- 
worth monument fund. His movement, and the frequent 
notices of it in the papers, had a favorable effect by calling 
public attention to the matter. The Ellsworth monument 
committee have received from the uncollected subscrip- 
tions, handed to them by the Rev. Hiram Dunn, the sum 
of $125 for the monument fund. During the same sum- 
mer a letter was received by Mr. Abiram Fellows from 
his nephew. Col. John R. Fellows, suggesting that an or- 
ganization should be effected to take charge of the erection 
of a monument to the memory of Col. Ellsworth, and 
offering to give $100 towards it. Enough people now 
seemed to be interested, in the movement, in addition 
to those who had long been ready and waiting for action, 
to give good promise of a successful result. After con- 
sultation the following call was immediately drawn up and 
circulated and the names appended were secured : 



" Since a promismg movement has been inaugurated for 

raising funds to erect a monument to the memory of the 

late Col. Ellsworth, and since it is desirable that there 

should be a responsible organization located at Mechanic- 

ville to take charge of the matter, we the undersigned hereby 

request our fellow citizens of Mechanicville and vicinity 

to meet us for the purpose of forming such an association 

on Friday evening, Aug. 23d, at 7 o'clock, at the new public 

hall. 

Bernice D. Ames, L. E. Smith, 

Charles Wheeler, E. Lockwood, 

J. F. Terry, Richard Richards, 

Abiram Fellows, W. W. Smith, 

E. C. Chase, John W. Smith. 

H. K. Cornell, 

"Mechanicville, Aug. 19th, 1872." 

FAMING OF OFFICERS. 

At the time named a meeting was held which adjourned 
till the next evening, Aug. 24th. At the adjourned meeting, 
Mr. Charles A. Hemstreet was chosen President, and Mr. 
H. S. Loper Secretary. At this meeting an Ellsworth 
Monument Association was organized by the choice of the 
following oflEicers, viz : Mr. Abiram Fellows, President ; 
Prof. Bernice D. Ames, Secretary; Mr. H. K. Cornell, 
Treasurer. A committee to have the whole charge of erect- 
ing the monument was also chosen, which at their first 
meeting was increased to include the following members, 
viz: Messrs. C. A. Hemstreet, Job Gr. Viall, James C. 
Rice, Alonzo Howland, Henry K. Cornell, Ephraim 
D. Ellsworth, Abiram Fellows, Prof. Bernice D. Ames, 
Mechanicville, Gen. E. F. Bullard, Troy, Hon. T. G. Young- 
love, Crescent, Col. W. B. French, Saratoga Springs, John 
R. Fellows and A. F. Ockershausen, New York, Fernando 
Jones, Chicago. In reality this committee constituted the 
Ellsworth Monument Association. The first meeting of 



9 

the committee was held at the office of the Treasurer, 
August 27th, to complete their organization and commence 
operations. Meetings of the committee were held from 
time to time in furtherance of their design. At a meeting 
held Nov. 15th, 1872, acontract was entered into with Geo. 
F. White, Rutland, Vt., to furnish and erect the monument. 
The legislature of the state of ISTew York, at its session held 
in the winter and spring of 1873, under the lead of Gen. 
George S. Batcheller appropriated $2000 for the Ellsworth 
monument. This liberal appropriation, which was unani- 
mously voted, rendered the movement an assured success, 
and greatly lightened the subsequent labors of the com- 
mittee. It was soon after determined to improve the monu- 
ment which had been already ordered, by the addition of a 
bronze medallion of Col. Ellsworth to be placed upon one 
face of the die and a bronze eao;le to surmount the shaft. 



THE MOIs^UMENT. 

After unexpected delays the monument was erected 
early in November, 1873, and on the fifth of that month 
the committee visited and examined it, and on motion voted 
to accept it as completed, but on, account of the lateness 
of the season, it was decided to postpone the ceremonies 
attending the unveiling of the monument until the follow- 
ing May. " Beautiful for situation," like Mount Zion, is 
the Ellsworth monument. It stands in the picturesque 
cemetery lately named the Ellsworth cemetery, situated 
upon the brow of the hill a little south-west of the village. 
It is located in the Ellsworth family lot near the center of 
the cemetery and is by far the most commanding object in it. 
Seen from the village, and a large section of the surround- 
ing country, the monument is a beautiful and prominent 
object. 

The material of which the monument is made is Quincy- 
granite, and it is finished with a ten-cut finish. The monu- 
ment is five feet square at the base, and about twenty-five 
feet in height and is beautifully proportioned. On the 



10 

front side of the base, wliich looks towards the west, is the 

word 

Ellsworth 

cut in has relief in glossed letters five inches long. Set into 
the front face of the die is a bronze medallion of Col. 
Ellsworth. The north side of the die bears the inscription : 

Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth 
Commander of the First Regiment of the New York 
Zouaves. Born at Malta, Saratoga county, N. Y., 
April 11th, 1837. Killed at Alexandria, Va., May 
24th, 1861, in taking the first Rebel Flag in the War 
for the Union. 

The volunteer Fire Department of New York Co- 
operated in the erection, of this monument. 

On the east side of the die is a slab of white marble on 
which is carved a unique and beautiful coat-of-arms, copied 
from a drawing made by Ellsworth, rifle, sword, pistol, 
bayonet, flag, banner, and all the accoutrements of war, 
eflectively arranged underneath a shield. 

Over all is a shield on which appears the initials E. E. 
E. Underneath this coat-of-arms is the well-known ex- 
tract from a letter written to his parents a little previous to 
setting out on the expedition on which he met his death : 

I am content,* * * * confident that he who noteth ^ 

even the fall of a sparrow, will have some purpose 
even in the fate of one like me. 

On the south side of the die is the following : 

The State of New York United in Commemorating 
the Patriotism of Colonel Ellsworth, by contributing 
out of the Public Funds to the erection of this monu- 
ment. Chapter 760, Laws of 1873. 

The letters of the inscriptions were sunk in the granite, 
then gilded. 

Midway up the octagonal shaft, on the west side, is carved 



11 

a beautiful shield, and surmounting all stands a majestic 
bronze eagle with outstretched wings. 

The following is a statement of the receipts and disburse- 
ments of the Association : 

Keceived from State of New York, . . $2000.00 

" " A. F. Ockershausen, . . 750.00 

Lewis E. Smith, .... 28.00 

Raised by Subscription, .... 2213.74 





$4991.74 


Cost of Monument, . . . . 


$4141.52 


Paid for Music, 


100.00 


Paid " use of Tent, . . . . 


100.00 


Paid for Foundation, 


28.00 


Expenses of the Dedication Ceremonies, 


342.62 


Cash on hand, 


279.60 




$4991.74 



mAUGimATma THE MONUMENT. 

May 27th, 1874, the thirteenth anniversary of Col. Ells- 
worth's funeral at Mechanicville had been fixed upon by 
the association as the day for inaugurating the monument. 

The orator and other speakers had been selected, and 
Gov. Dix and stafl", and numerous other civic and mili- 
tary bodies had been invited to be present. As the day 
approached the most ample and thorough preparations 
were made, various committees were appointed to take 
charge of different departments of the work, as the com- 
mittee on order of exercises, committee of reception, 
soliciting committee, committee on table arrangements, 
committee on lumber, etc. The mammoth tent of the 
Round Lake Camp Meeting Association was procured 
for the occasion and spread in an open field in the south 
part of the village to be used as a dining pavilion. A spacious 
stand for the speakers, the committee, the ofiicers of the day 
and others, was erected in the large field adjoining the 
cemetery on the west, and seats were provided for the 



12 

audience. The morning of the appointed day openedbeauti- 
fully, light clouds veiled the face of the sun and tempered 
his more vertical rays in the middle of the day so that the 
elements could not possibly have been more propitious for 
a large gathering in the open air. Early in the day the 
people from the surrounding country came thronging 
to the village in large numbers. The morning trains 
brought great numbers from more distant places and finally 
immense special trains from the cities of Albany and Troy 
increased the assembled multitudes to six or eight thousand 
people. 

THE PROCESSION". 

The procession was at once formed at the rail road station 

under the direction of Captain William E. Fitch of Albany, 

Grand Marshal. The order of march was as follows : 

First Division. 

Squad of Police. 

Albany City Grand Army Band, A. K. Patten, band master. 

Captain William E. Fitch, Grand Marshal. 

Assistant Marshals, 
Hon. Terence J. Quinn, A. H. Spierre, Frederick Swin- 
burne and Charles Wiles. 

Fifth [E] Company, Tenth Regiment Lifantry, National 

Guard, State of !N"ew York, Ellsworth Zouave 

Cadets, Captain James McFarlane. 

Veterans of the Forty-Fourth JSTew York State Volunteer 

Infantry, People's Ellsworth Regiment, Corporal 

M. V. B. Wagoner, Commanding. 

Sixth [F] Company, Tenth Regiment Infantry IST. G. S. N. 

Y., Harris Guards, Captain George D. Weid- 

man. Commanding. 

Post Lew Benedict, 'Eo. 5, Grand Army of the Republic, 
Robert H. McCormic, Commander. 

Members of the Ellsworth Monument Association. 

Orator, Poet and guests of the Association. 



13 

Second Division. 
Sullivan's Tenth Eegiment Band, J. H. B. Sullivan, band 

master. 

Albany Academy Cadet Battalion, three companies and 
drum corps. Major Leonard Paige, Commanding. 

Third [C] Company, Tenth Regiment Infantry, IsT. G. S. E". 

Y., Osborn Guards, Captain and Brevet Major 

Peter C. Bain, Commanding. 

Major General Joseph B. Carr, Commanding Third Divi- 
sion, National Guard, State of JSTew York, and staff. 

Brigadier General Alonzo Alden, Commanding Tenth 

Brigade !N^ational Guard, State of l!^ew York, 

and staff. 

Post McConihe, No. 18, Grand Army of the Republic, 

Charles Newman Everts, Commander. 

Post Willard, No. 34, Grand Army of the Republic, Joseph 
Egolf, Commander. 

Veterans of the Seventy-Seventh Regiment New York State 

Volunteer Infantry, Bemis Heights Regiment. 
Drum Corps. 

Independent Veteran Zouaves, Captain W. F. Boshart, 
Commanding. 

Section of Battery A, Ninth Brigade, National Guard State 

of New York, two (2) pieces. Captain John Pochiu 

Commanding. 

Upon the formation of the line the procession marched 
down Railroad street to Main, thence down Main to Elm, 
thence through Elm to the rail road crossing, thence through 
West Main, and South streets, to the cemetery, through 
which the procession moved to the stand. After the proces- 
sion had reached the stand and its different component parts 
had been assigned to their respective positions, the exercises 
were opened by Prof. Bernice D. Ames, on whose nomina- 
tion Gen. George S. Batcheller, of Saratoga Springs, was 
chosen President. 



14 



OIlGlANIZA.TIO]Sr COMPLETED. 

At the close of his address the organization was completed 
by the choice of the following Vice Presidents and Secre- 
taries. 

Vice Presidents : 

New York — Hon. John K. Porter, Hon.' John R. Fellows, 
Hon. Gilbert M. Spier, Hon. Stephen P. ITash, John F. 
Seymour, Geo. A. Fellows, Hiram Ketchem, Charles A. 
Davison. 

Albany — Hon. Deodatus Wright, Hon. John H. Reynolds, 
Hon. Geo. H. Thacher, George W. Luther. 

Troy — Gen. E. F. Bullard, George H. Cramer, Samuel A. 
House, Charles Eddy, Edgar L. Fursman, Hon. John 
C. Greene. 

Waterford — Wm. T. Seymour, John C. House, Hon. 
Isaac C. Ormsby, Hon. C. A. Waldron, William Burton, 
Dr. Chauucey Boughton, Geo. W. Eddy, J. B. Enos. 

Half moon — Hon. T. G. Younglove, William Tripp, John 
Tripp, James H. Prime. 

Malta — Col. C. T. Peek, A. H. Hemphill, James Tripp. 

3IechamcviUe — Abiram Fellows, Prof. Bernice D. Ames, 
Job G. Viall, Henry K. Cornell, Capt. AlonzoHowland, Jas. 
C. Rice, C. A. Hemstreet, Dr. Wm. Tibbetts, Wm. C. 
Talmadge, Dr. IT. H. Ballou, Frank Pruyn, Charles 
Wheeler, J. F. Terry, J. W. Ensign, W. W. Smith, 
Wm. M. Warner, T. P. Lockwood, JSTelson Shonts, George 
Rogers, Rev. George C. Morehouse. 

Schuylerville — George Strover, Daniel A. Bullard, George 
F. Watson, Chas. W. Mayhew, Dr. C. H. Payn, Henry 
Clay Holmes. 

Stillwater — Gilbert Y. Lansing, Jared W. Haight, 
Stephen Wood, George W. Neilson, William Taylor, Geo. 
A. Ensign, Thomas M. Myers, Dr. Chauncy Bull. 

Saratoga Springs — Hon. Augustus Bockes, Hon. John 
C. Hulburt, Hon. H. H. Hathorn, Hon. Charles S. Lester, 



15 

Hon. James B. McKean, Wm. H. McCaffrey, James L. 
Cramer, Gen. W. B. French, Col. W. M. Searing, Capt. 
B. F. Judson, Hon. James M. Marvin, J. H. Breslin. 

Clifton Park — George Dater, John Peck, William May- 
hew, William Mott. 

Rock City — Hon. Geo. West, Clarence Kilmer. 

Ballston Spa — James W. Horton, Hon. George G. Scott, 
Col. W. T. Odell, H. A. Mann, J. S. L'Amoreux, Hiro 
Jones, J. R. Harlow, Col. B. F. Baker, Thomas JS'oxon. 

Secretaries ; 

New York — Col. John Hay, Albert Vernam, Joel Sey- 
mour. 

Albany — Harvey A. D wight. Dr. Henry R. Haskins, Nor- 
man Seymour. 

Troy — John M. House. 

Waterford — Col. S. P. Smith, D. M. Vanhovenburgh. 

Mechanicviile — Lewis Howland, David S. Baker, Henry 
H. Ross, Thomas Terry, George Lockwood, C. H. Betts, C. 
M. Fort, Joshua Anthony, Stephen Lee, E. B. Lockwood. 

Malta — Henry Yanhyning, G. E. Denton. 

Stillwater — Daniel Ellsworth, Dr. Frank Thomas, Edgar 
Holmes, Gilbert P. Rowley, D. B. Holmes. 

Ballston Spa — Hon. !N"eil Gilmour, C. E. Fitcham. 

Halfmoon — Henry Clark, J. H. Clark. 

Clifton Park — Rev. John Campbell, P. S. Jones. 



EXERCISES AT THE STAl^D. 

The exercises at the stand continued to the close accord- 
ing to the following programme, copies of which were 
generally distributed among the audience. 

Gen. E. F. Bullard had also been expected to speak, but 
was unable to be present. He however furnished the com- 
mittee with a copy of the remarks that he would have de- 
livered, if he had been present. They will be found in this 



16 

memorial volume. Gren. Egbert L. Viele of Kew York 
had been invited to give an address on the occasion, but 
was unable to be present on account of illness. 

Order of Exercises. 

1. Appointment and Address of the Presiding Officer, 

Hon. George S. Batcheller, of Saratoga Springs, 
K. Y. 

2. ISTaming of Vice Presidents and Secretaries. 

3. Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. Charles D. Flagler. 

4. Music — " American Hymn," M. Keller. 

5. Unveiling of the Monument — Military Salute, Ar- 

tillery and Band. 

6. Life Sketch of Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth, by Edward L. 

Cole, Esq., of Troy, K Y. 

7. Music — "Memorial Overture," J. H. B. Sullivan. 

8. Oration, by Hon. Julius C. Burrows, M. C, of Michigan. 

9. March — "The Soldier's Farewell," E. Hare. 

10. Poem, by William H. McElroy of Albany, N". Y. 

11. Address, by Lt. Francis E. Brownell, U. S. A., Ells- 

worth's Avenger. 

12. Music — Descriptive Fantasia — " Recollections of the 

Siege of Petersburgh," J. H. B. Sullivan. 

13. Benediction, Rev. Charles D. Flagler. 

At that point in the exercises after the band had played 
the " American Hymn," the ceremony of unveihng the 
monument took place. While the artillery and band 
joined in a grand military salute, a committee advanced 
from the stand to the Ellsworth lot and touched a spring 
which threw oif the covering in a moment, and displayed 
the imposing granite shaft to the eyes of the multitude. It 
was a moment of thrilling and peculiar interest and one 
not soon to be forgotten by the assembled thousands. 

At the close of the exercises at the stand the procession 
reformed and marched to the mammoth dining pavilion, 
where the military and other invited guests were provided 



17 

with a bountiful repast, abundant provision for which had 
been contributed by the people of the surrounding country 
and provided by the committee. 

All the varied exercises of the day passed off successfully 
and to the great apparent satisfaction of the people. 

iN'ot an untoward incident occurred to mar the complete- 
ness of the demonstration. It was a matter of great pride 
and of high gratification to the members of the association 
that they were permitted to see their labors, which had 
been prosecuted through many months, crowned with such 
grand and triumphant success. 

And now in the publication of this memorial volume the 
association close their labors which have been voluntary, 
sometimes arduous and self-sacrificing, and wholly unre- 
quited, except by the satisfaction which they feel as they 
now resign the trust which was originally reposed in them 
by the partiality of their fellow citizens, in the consciousness 
that they had been instrumental in discharging an obliga- 
tion sacredly due to the memory of the illustrious dead and 
in doing what they could to perpetuate the memory of a 
career which shall be to the living a memory and an in- 
spiration. 

" On Fame's eternal camping ground 

His silent tent is spread, 
While Grlory guards with solemn round 
The bivouac of the dead." 

" How sleep the brave who sink to rest, 
With all their country's honors blest." 



OPEJ^ESTG ADDRESS. 

Hon. GrEORGE S. Batcheller then spoke as follows : 
Mr. Chairman and Fellow Citizens, I esteem it a high 
honor to be permitted to participate in the patriotic solem- 
nities of this day. We are assembled to pay a fitting 
tribute to the memory of one whose course was brief, 



18 

brilliant and immortal. Here, within sound reach of the 
cannon whose echoing thunders marked the progress of 
the great battle nearly a centur J ago, which in my estimation, 
decided the natal day of the Republic, we come to raise the 
memorial column to the young hero who was the first of 
his rank to lay down his life to preserve and perpetuate 
that country which our revered fathers then won upon the 
plains of Saratoga. 

There are events in the course of every nation which 
mark epochs in its history. They stand forth like the 
grand mountain ranges and lakes of our own dear land, to 
command the attention and admiration of the world. 

They attach their associations to the mind and heart of 
the whole people so that they are no longer the exclusive 
legends of a locality, but are the household treasure of the 
entire land. Such are the deeds, such the memory of Elmer 
E. Ellsworth. We are upon historic ground. Let the me- 
mories of the Revolution descend to inspire the thoughts of 
this hour. Let the country for which his life was given be 
the cherished idol of every home. Let the action of our 
civil life be so moulded that it will become but a continued 
pulsation of those noble hearts which ceased to throb upon 
the glorious fields of our country. Let the commonwealth 
be upheld with purity and integrity. Let the sentiment of 
virtue in public aflairs become so thoroughly infused and 
firmly established that it will henceforth be as honorable 
to serve the State in civic spheres as it ever has been upon 
the field of battle. When public men shall become promi- 
nent exemplars of a chivalric rectitude in all affairs, when 
rising generations shall aspire to emulate their record and 
all shall feel assured that in their control the Government 
will illustrate in reality what the fathers ordained, a Republic 
with perfect principles administered by faithful and honest 
men, then shall Ellsworth and his brave compatriots not 
have died in vain. Let us then consecrate this monument 
to the gallant dead, and commemorate the cause of him 
w^ho now slumbers at its base, by dedicating here an altar 



19 

upon which the fires of patriotism and public virtue 
shall glow and brighten even unto the perfect day. 

Thanking you, gentlemen of the committee, for selecting 
me to preside on this occasion, I will proceed with the 
order of exercises which you have established. 



PRAYER. 

Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev, Charles D. Flagler. 
Let us unite in Prayer. 

Almighty Grod, our Heavenly Father, King of kings and 
Lord of lords. Thou that guidest the planets in their course 
and the seraph in his path. Thou whose empire is so vast 
and who art being worshipped by myriads upon myriads 
around Thy throne, and by Thy Church universal upon 
earth, we rejoice that Thine ear is always open to the 
supplications of even Thy most obscure creatures. We 
desire to come into Thy presence reverentially because of 
Thy greatness and holiness ; humbly because of our weak- 
ness and sinfulness, and gratefully that we are here so richly 
laden with the experience of Thy loving kindness and 
Thy tender mercies. Oh Thou that rulest among the 
armies of heaven and among the nations of the earth, we 
assemble here to day, not as partizans, not as adversaries, 
but with arms reversed we come into Thy presence as 
citizens and as representatives of this great republic ; to 
specially return thanks to Thee, oh Thou King of kings, 
for all the steps by which Thou hast advanced us to the 
position of an independent nation. , When the dark 
clouds of war were hovering over us, threatening to destroy 
us from among the nations. Thine invisible hand hast 
guided us ; Thou didst impart wisdom to the court, dis- 
cretion to the cabinet and valor to the camp. We thank 
Thee that Thou didst lead our armies in the heat of battle 
and that with Thy breath Thou didst banish the clouds 
from our political sky and restored peace to our borders, 
and that as again we lift up our hearts in thankfulness to 



20 

Thee and place upon Thy altar our tribute of gratitude, we 
can say with Tby servant, Thou hast not dealt thus with 
any other nation. Oh Thou that makest wars to cease to 
the ends of the earth, accept our thanks and while we are 
assembled here on this soil, consecrated by our many 
prayers and tears and by the ashes of our loved ones, oh 
do Thou guide us ; do Thou preside over us in all these 
deliberations. Our Heavenly Father look Thou in mercy 
upon us, and grant that from these mounds and monuments, 
we may be taught important lessons of wisdom ; from the 
graves of those who have died in the peaceful pursuits of 
life, may we learn the evanescence of all temporary things, 
and from the graves of those who have lingered away their 
lives in the hospital or fallen upon the field of battle, may 
we also realize that the greatest pageantry of life will soon 
pass and the hero's triumph be silent in the grave. Merci- 
ful Heavenly Father, as we are assembled here to-day to 
give expression to our regard, to our esteem, to our love 
for the gallant soldier who fell in the early dawn of our 
national struggle, as we give such expression by the boom- 
ing of cannon, by the inspiration of music, by the voice of 
eloquence, oh, may we here recognize the same guiding 
hand that courageous officer recognized and feel that in 
his fall Thou didst have some purpose. "While we learn 
here the lessons of his early life and the secret of his success 
as a soldier, may we realize that all that is valuable in our 
civil and religious institutions must be based upon honor 
and upon intelligence. And now. Father in Heaven, Thou 
who lookest upon the nations of the earth even as a drop in 
the bucket, as the small dust in the balance, Thou that weigh- 
est the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance, watch 
Thou over us as a nation, protect us from all foes, whether 
domestic or foreign, and we pray that this star in the west 
may never go down. May this our nation be united long 
years to come and ever remain an asylum for the oppressed 
of all nations. Omnipresent One, as we stand by the 
grave of the gallant colonel, to whose memory we are here 



21 

to-day to pay our tribute of respect and love ; as we and 
future generations stand by that grave wbere friendship 
will weep, where affection will mourn, and where pity will 
mingle with grief, oh may this monumental stone pointing 
to the skies lead our thoughts to the celestial temple, where 
we trust he whose memory we honor is with the great army 
of the Lord, where conflicts are unknown and where he 
wears a crown of glory. Oh Thou Divine Commander, 
hear Thou us, in this our petition, not for any worthiness 
of ours, but for the sake of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, 
and to the King eternal, immortal and invisible, we will 
ascribe all honor and glory, now and forever. — Amen. 

MUSIC. 

"American Hymn," M. Keller. 



UNYEILma THE MONUMENT. 

The monument was here unveiled with a military salute 
by artillery and band. 



LIFE SKETCH. 

Mr. Edward L. Cole, of Troy, next spoke as follows : 
The duty of mine this hour and the honor is to sketch 
briefly the life of him who is resting yonder beneath that 
granite shaft, glistening in the sunshine of this May day, 
to tell the plain, unadorned story of his early life, his few 
years of manhood and his sad death. 

A few miles away to the west and northward, in the 
little village of Malta, on the 11th day of April, 1837, 
Ephraim Elmer Ellsworth was born. The air he first drew 
in came to him after sweeping over the plains made historic 
by the success of the patriot arms, and the first tales that 
were told him, after the nursery rhymes, were those that 



22 

taught Mm how, iu the years gone by upon the fields of his 
native country, one of the decisive battles of the war for 
independence was fought. As year after year of his life 
rolled away the seed that had been sown by the story of 
the revolutionary sires upon Bemis Heights germinated 
and grew apace until, in after years, it came to blossom and 
to fruit. At his mother's knee he was taught the rudi- 
ments of education and, mingled with the story of his letters, 
that kind mother told him the story of the cross. Through 
all his life there ran the strong current of belief in prayer. 
He did not wear his belief openly upon his sleeve, but under 
all his actions, in the silence of his closet, in his letters to his 
mother there was ever breathed a firm. belief in the Chris- 
tianity of this day and in the divine Providence that over- 
shadoweth all things. 

At the district school -house that still stands over in 
yonder village, Ellsworth first knew the rule of the school 
and mingled with school-fellows. A favorite with his 
master, loved by his school-mates, quick to learn, apt of 
memory, young as he was, he had a love of such books as told 
of wars and the lives and deeds of men, great in arms. His 
school-life has but little of interest beyond a proud, sensi- 
tive, affectionate lad, hampered by circumstances, a mind 
reaching beyond his years, an ambition going out beyond 
the life of a village lad, a soul flashing out at times, to the 
close observer a prophecy of a future that should be stored 
with events, great either in good or evil for him ; a dutiful 
son, a leader in boyhood sports, a thinker beyond his years, 
yet not remarkable. Such is the story of his life as a lad. 

In 1851 he entered the store of Mr. Degroff'in this yonder 
village, such a store as you find in all villages. A year 
here learning the w"ays of life and men, then to the city of 
Troy, where his entrance into the busy world began ; away 
from his home, from his mother, from the scenes of his 
youth, a venturer with a frail bark upon the sea of life, his 
only chart, a school education and the precepts of kind 
parents. At Troy he first felt the rough contact of the 



23 

struggle for wealth and bread. A year there, then his 
footsteps turned toward the metropolis of the nation, think- 
ing, as he said to his father in his request to be allowed to 
go : " That faithful, honest clerks were always wanted there : 
that one who knew his duty and would do it, could not fail 
to succeed." The year he remained in N^ew York was an 
eventful one for him. It was the year in which the seeds 
sown by the story of the victory of Gates at Saratoga, nur- 
tured by the tales of the heroes of the war, that he had 
conned so often, began to show the inner life that had so 
long lain dormant in him. He attended every drill of the 
Seventh Regiment that it was possible for him to do, read 
books of tactics, and first felt the breaking of the light of 
those ideas of his, regarding military organization, that 
afterwards came to such splendid fruition. From 1855 to 
1859, there is but little item of interest to the world at large, 
in the life of our hero. It was a struggle for place, for posi- 
tion in the mercantile world. Baffled by hard and un- 
toward circumstances, but through all and in all, his leading 
idea still grew apace. He perfected himself in all the 
accomplishments of a soldier. He was, of the strictest type, 
a self-denialist. Everything that tended toward the perfect 
soldier, in thought, study or deed, was his. He became a 
master of the several systems of tactics, of the use of the bay- 
onet and under the tuition of De Villers, an accomplished 
swordsman. During the latter part of this period he was the 
drill master of the Governor's Guard of Wisconsin, educat- 
ing it to the standard of the finest military body in the.great 
West. It was during this period, that Ellsworth made the 
effort to enter the ranks of the students of law. He applied 
by letter to one of the most able lawyers of Chicago. His 
application was unsuccessful, but the tone of his letter 
making the application, shows the determined iron 
spirit of the man. In it he said : " I am determined to 
study law, and succeed if I have to borrow a copy of 
Blackstone and study in the Court House cupola. But I 
want to start right and rather than not do so, would enter 



24 

your office in any capacity, build fires, if nothing else is to 
be done, and trust to time to work my way to the position 
I desire." For some reason his request was not granted, 
but his idea of being a law student was not abandoned. 

Having made up his mind to pursue a given direction of 
life, his iron will did not change at the least breath of ad- 
verse fortune. He became a student of law, a hard reader 
and diligent worker at the dusty and dry sections of Kent, 
Blackstone and Story, supporting himself in the meantime 
by copying legal papers. This year was his hardest struggle 
for life. He had no pleasures : he knew but few friends. 
The secret of how he lived was known only to himself and 
the baker from whom he daily purchased his loaf of bread. 
During this period he never slept in a bed or never sat at 
the social board of a friend. His proud spirit would not 
accept an invitation to dine when he knew he had not the 
power to repay it. His constitution, never enfeebled by 
excesses, enabled him to endure privations that ordinary 
men would have fallen under. He knew no wrong. His 
faith in the future was great; his abstinence gave his brain 
the bright look into the future that comes from frugality, 
a clear mind and heart. He was at once a dreamer of prac- 
tical day dreams and an active worker. He believed, urged 
and argued the greatness of the future of Mexico when an- 
nexed to the United States : he believed that with her 
wealth of minerals, her climate, her geographical position 
she might become the great state of the union. This was 
no chimerical idea but one founded upon the immense re- 
sources of the country. He would erect upon the fallen 
empire of the Montezumas, by and through the industry and 
labors of the Anglo Saxon race, a state that should have 
no peer, wrested by toil from the hand of semi-barbarism. 
But the great, the controlling idea of Ellsworth's life was 
that which he evolved from his mind, in early boyhood, 
that the years and study had perfected. This was, to form 
in each state skeletons, as it were, of regiments, each having 
its full complement of thoroughly drilled officers always 



25 

ready : a framework always ready at a few days' warning 
to be filled into a perfect regiment. His mind with a pro- 
phetic intuition seemed warned that the years would not 
be many ere a regiment, well officered and manned, speedily 
to be placed in the field would be worth a division three 
months later. It is thus those who are the leaders of great 
innovations, stand, as it were, upon the hill tops and first 
catch the light of the coming day, while the majority of 
the world in the valleys below still grope in the dark. Had 
the years of 1859 and 1860 seen his idea perfected, the war 
that was a struggle of over four years would have been a 
war of three months, but he was in advance of the age, he 
was a prophet with but few followers. Yet the world to- 
day pays the tardy compliment to his genius, by acknow- 
ledging the truth of his theories and yet so acknowledging, 
like the world, does not avail itself of their worth by fol 
lowing them. At this time he was the picture of a soldier. 
His form though slight was of the size of the elder Napo- 
leon, the head, poised like that of a statue, covered by 
curling black hair, dark eyes, bright and serene, a nose 
like that you see on Roman medals, a light moustache just 
shading the lips that were continually curving into sunny 
smiles. His voice deep but musical, his address soldierly, 
sincere and courteous, his dress tasty and faultless, the 
fascination to gather friends and keep them, a cavalier of 
the days of romance, stainless, loyal and brave. Bayard 
himself would have been proud of him, his duty and the 
principles of his life,- his gage of conduct, like the knights 
of the Round Table : 

" To reverence tlie king as if he were 
Their conscience, and their conscience as their king, 
To break the heathen and support the Christ, 
To ride abroad redressing human wrongs 
To speak no slander, no, nor listen to it, 
To lead sweet lives in purest chastity, 
To love one maiden only, cleave to her. 
And worship her by years of noble deeds. 
Until they won her : " 
4 



26 

For the rest, 

* * " high thoughts and amiable words 
And courtliness, and the desire of fame, 
And love of truth and all that makes a man." 

Such a man was Ephraim Elmer Ellsworth when he, on 
the 4th day of May, 1859, organized the United States 
Zouave Cadets of Chicago, the organization that first gave 
his name to the world. Disregarding the old rules for the 
school of the soldier, he boldly struck out into a new system 
entirely at variance with all thoughts upon military, taught 
them by new methods to the perfection of soldierly conduct, 
taught them to be abstemious and enforced by rigid discipline 
such teaching. Through his eiForts the directors of the 
United States Agricultural Society ofl:ered a set of magnifi- 
cent colors to the best drilled company in the nation. Ells- 
worth's command received them and soon after started on 
their march through the principal cities of the union. It was 
one of triumph and good nature, conceding to his command 
the palm of superiority. N"ew York, the acknowledged 
champion of half a century in the perfection of her citizen 
soldiery, was forced to confess that out of the West had come 
soldiers before whom her pride — the Seventh — was as a 
raw recruit. Everywhere th6 command was praised and 
admired and Ellsworth was, for the hour, the most talked 
of man in the country. Thus far had he advanced. He 
had demonstrated to the rigid martinets of the old school 
the efficacy of his drill. He had gained a hold upon the 
respect and admiration of the people that would command 
him attention. After his return to Chicago, still intent 
upon carrying out his great idea of skeleton and speedy 
mobilzation of militia regiments, he went to Springfield. 
He believed in the success of Mr. Lincoln and he hoped in 
such event to secure his help in carrying out the great idea 
of his life, the founding of a National Militia Bureau, such 
bureau to have all possible information and control of the 
aailitia ; the distribution of information regarding the 



27 

militia ; a system of instruction for the militia ; the uniform 
organization and. equipment of State troops. Lincohi, quick 
to read men and know their place, took him as a student 
in his law office, and there was begun that friendship between 
he who was to be the saviour of a nation and the soldier 
whose memory this day we honor. During the months of 
Ellsworth's study he perfected and further amplified the 
military passion of his life. He also made, during the 
presidential campaign of that year many earnest and elo- 
quent speeches for his party reminding all who heard him 
of the early and palmy days of the Douglas. 

To the leacislature of Illinois that winter he submitted a 
bill embodying his ideas of militia reform, but no progress 
was made with it before them. At the invitation of the 
president elect he went with him as one of his escort to 
Washington. Now, with the chief executive of the nation 
as his friend and adviser, all seemed bright and fair in life 
before him. Ellsworth wished a position in the War 
Department that should give him the opportunity to become 
the head of a bureau that should eiFect the reforms he 
wished, but the jealousy of the officers of the regular army, 
who are and always were fosilized against any scheme of 
reform regulating the militia, threw so many difficulties in 
the way of the young hero that his task seemed almost hope- 
less, and yet not altogether so, for from documents which 
I have seen I am led to believe that it was already decided 
upon that such a bureau should be formed, and he assigned 
to the head of it, with the rank of brevet lieutenant 
colonel. At about this time, he was commissioned second 
lieutenant in the regular army. While these plans were 
going forward Ellsworth fell sick. While lying ill, the 
storm clouds of war gathered dark and the south winds 
bore northward the rumors of the coming strife. The fall 
of Sumter roused him to health and strength ; the young 
hero could not be idle or sick at such a time. In his own 
words, he " felt that he had a great work to do, to which his 
life was pledged ; yet he could ask no better death than to 



28 

fall before the walls of Sumter." Scarce had the echo of 
the first gun fired against the flag on Sumter's walls died 
away, than he was en route for 'New York, proceeding 
thither without orders, without assistance or authority, the 
fixed purpose in his mind that his own native State should 
have the first regularly organized volunteer regiment at 
the capital of the nation. 

On his way he made up his mind that from the ranks of 
the JSTew York firemen, men used to danger, duty and obe- 
dience, he would recruit his ranks. In a few days his regi- 
ment, the First ^ew York Zouaves, were en route for 
"Washington, and were on the 7th day of May at "Washington, 
mustered into service. It is a strange, proud circumstance 
of this regiment, and more proud still for its young com- 
mander, that while other regiments were being mustered 
for thirty days, sixty days, three months and two years, his 
was the only regiment which was mustered in for the 
war. Others might be content to do sixty days' fighting, 
but the young hero, only twenty-four years old, was deter- 
mined that, though the war should be long or short, he and 
his regiment would be in at the beginning and stay in until 
the death. This marks again the determination and iron 
will of Ellsworth. 

Through his grace in winning men to him, through his 
capacity to command, this regiment, composed for the most 
part of men from the rougher walks of life, feared and 
obeyed his slightest wish, while they loved him as a brother. 
After a few days of drill and of discipline, on the 23d 
of May, through the efi:brts of Colonel Ellsworth, they were 
ordered to cross into Virginia and cooperate in the attack 
on Alexandria. They were to march on the morrow. 
Late in the night he sought his tent, where in the hours 
that preceded the march he busied himself with the detail 
of regimental arrangements for the morrow. In these 
hours his heart went out to his loved ones, to her whom 
his heart held so dearly, to his father and mother, and as if 
even then he felt the shadow of the fate that was for him 



29 

on the morrow, he wrote to his parents : " I am perfectly 
content to accept whatever my fortune may be, confident 
that He who noteth even the fall of a sparrow will have 
some purpose in the fate of one like me. * * * God bless, 
protect and care for you." 

At early morn the regiment reached Alexandria. In 
the light winds of the sunny May morning from a house 
top, whose walls had sheltered "Washington, floated a rebel 
flag, flaunting its treason. To allow his regiment to see it 
would result in the demolition of the house. To save 
bloodshed, to avert a calamity, the brave colonel with a 
file of men ascended to remove the obnoxious rag. In a few 
moments he had hold ol the halyards, the flag was lowered. 
Descending the stairs with the baleful colors in his arms, he 
was met by the owner of the house, a blinding flash, a 
sudden report from a rebel musket, followed instantly by 
a flash from a Union gun, a thud of northern steel, and the 
souls of the patriot and the assassin passed back to their 
Maker. The one dying in defense of the principles of human 
freedom, his country and its laws, a martyr. The other, dying 
the death qf a traitor, his name given an infamous noto- 
riety by the cowardly assassin act, that brought its retribution 
in his instant death. Ellsworth had fallen in the line of 
duty ; for him the reconnoisance of life had ended, the 
bugle liad sounded the recall, and his spirit returned to its 
Maker. The beloved of all who knew him, the typical 
type of the northern soldier, true, generous, loydl and brave 
his death was the call for a hundred thousand men to spring 
to arms. Sad though it was, it may have been the necessary 
instrument through which a nation woke to the realization 
that the war was one of reality. Years have not dimmed 
the glory of his name nor shadowed the sad lustre of his 
fate. To-day the men-at-arms of the republic claim his 
memory as their heritage. His history is a page of the 
archives of our Republic. His grave shall be the shrine 
to which the lovers of liberty shall turn to mourn a hero 
who fell in their cause. Words can pay no prouder tri- 



30 

bute than these from the pen of the now sainted Lincoln, 
written to the father and mother of our hero r 

" In the untimely loss of your noble son, our affliction here 
is scarcely less than your own. So much of promised use- 
fulness to one's country, and of bright hopes for one's self 
and friends, have rarely been so suddenly darkened, as in 
his fall. In size, in years and in youthful appearance a 
boy only, his power to command men was surprisingly 
great. This power, combined with a fine intellect and in- 
domitable energy, and a taste altogether military, constituted 
in him, as seemed to me, the best natural talent in that de- 
partment I ever knew. And yet he was singularly modest 
and deferential in social intercourse. My acquaintance 
with him began less than two years ago, yet through the 
latter half of the intervening period it was as intimate as 
the disparity of our ages and my engrossing engagements 
would permit. To me he appeared to have no indulgences 
in pastimes, and I never heard him utter a profane or an 
intemperate word. What was conclusive of his good 
heart, he never forgot his parents. The honors he labored' 
for so laudably, and, in the sad end, so gallantly gave his life, 
he meant for them no less than for himself. 

In the hope that it maybe no intrusion upon the sacred- 
ness of your sorrow, I have ventured to address this tribute 
to the memory of my young friend, and your brave and 
early fallen child. May God give you the consolation which 
is beyond all earthly power. 

Sincerely your friend in a common affliction, 

A. Lincoln. 



MUSIC. 

" Memorial Overture." 



31 



ORATION. 

Hon. Julius C. Bureows, M. C. of Michigan, then de- 
livered the following oration : 

Fellow Citizens : Thirteen years ago to day, and almost 
at this very hour, followed by a nation in mourning amid 
demonstrations of profound and universal sorrow, you re- 
ceived and consigned to their final resting place, within 
the soil of his native State, the mortal remains of Colonel 
Ellsworth. 

Borne on the wings of lightning to the remotest confines of 
the Eepublic, to every camp and cabin came the sad intelli- 
gence that Ellsworth was dead. That he who so recently 
went forth in all the pride of manhood followed by the prayers 
and hopes of a nation, had fallen a bleeding sacrifice upon 
his country's altar. The nation stood grief-stricken and 
appalled. From its executive head to the humblest citizen of 
the Republic, there was but one sentiment pervading all 
loyal hearts and that of deepest sorrow and irreparable loss. 
From the watch-towers of the Republic, sentinel called to 
sentinel through the thick darkness of the nation's night 
" Ellsworth is dead !" That cry, at first a terror, became an 
inspiration. Paying to his memory a hurried, but sincere 
tribute of respect, every arm was nerved with a double 
power, every heart quickened with a firmer purpose to sus- 
tain and carry forward the cause in which he was so 
devotedly engaged and for which he freely offered up his 
life. Years have passed since then ;• years of fratricidal 
strife and bloodshed; years which have witnessed the 
baptism of a nation in the blood of more than half a million 
of its citizens ; years of the breaking down of a despotic 
power and the up-building of the shattered frame work of 
civil government, crowned at last with the blessing of na- 
tional union and peace. Though almost a decade has passed 
since the close of that contest yet you have returned to-day 
to do fresh honor to the memory of him who was amono- 



32 

the earliest martyrs to tliat cause of constitutional govern- 
ment and civil liberty. Standing to-day in the presence of 
this wailing muh'itude and by the shadow of this monu- 
mental shaft marking the impressive silence, broken only 
by solemn dirge and the mournful wail of drooping banners 
rustling in the breeze ; beholding upon these upturned 
faces the lingering shadow of a heavy grief, the sublime 
truth is proclaimed, that, though dead, the memory of his 
virtues still lives undimmed by time and sacredly pre- 
served in the hearts of the American people. Let us then, 
to day, while standing above his ashes and beneath the flag 
for which he fell, recount his virtues and learn as best we 
may the lessons of his life. Ephraim Elmer Ellsworth was 
born at Malta, Saratoga county, l^ew York, on the 11th day 
of April, 1837. Springing from the ranks of the people, 
unaided by fortune or position he entered the conflict of 
life, armed only with an indomitable courage and a royal 
nature. These were his tempered weapon and shield and 
right gallantly he used them. His boyhood, like that of 
most American youth, was spent at home and in the common 
school where he secured a fair English education and that 
early training so essential to future usefulness. Early in 
life he seemed to be ambitious to make the profession of 
arms his study and pursuit, exhibiting for it unusual fond- 
ness. With this in view, we find him at an early age 
anxiously looking forward to the time when, as a cadet at 
"West Point, he might have the opportunity of acquiring 
that military training deemed essential to military renown. 
But circumstances beyond his control (the want of influential 
friends and a sufficient fortune) thwarted his purposes and 
he was forced to yield reluctant submission to what undoubt- 
edly seemd to him a cruel and relentless fate. But, although 
West Point was refused him, yet one thing could not be de- 
nied or taken from him and that was the God-given right and 
inborn capacity to make himself outside and independent of 
it, the peer of any man within it. Though thus thwarted 
in his ambition and crushed in his first, best hope, yet in spirit 



33 

and purpose lie was unconquered and unconquerable. So 
unswerving was lie in his determination that you might deny 
to him the education of your schools ; exclude him from the 
avenues of business by the insuperable barriers of poverty ; 
place beyond his reach or control all those helps which 
wealth or position can command, yet nothing could turn 
him aside from the deep seated purpose of his life. 

There are some men greater than circumstances, superior 
to all difficulties and who, when others despair, strike master 
blows against fearful odds. Such was the peculiarity of 
Ellsworth's character and to it, more than any thing else, he 
owed his wonderful success. Baffled for the moment in 
his hopes of receiving a military education in the schools, 
he turned his back upon home and friends and pushed out 
alone into the world, a mere boy, to meet and contend with 
life's duties and responsibilities. After engaging in business 
for a short time in the city of 'New York, he removed to 
Chicago, whereas a patent solicitor he acquired a favorable 
reputation and a fair livelihood. 

But his ardent love for a military life still followed him. 
He became captain of a military company and watching 
carefully the progress of the Crimean war he became con- 
vinced that the zouave organization and drill was the best for 
military purposes. Sending to France for the necessary 
books he made himself thoroughly acquainted with all the 
evolutions. It may be doubted whether such a military 
company as the Chicago Zouaves was ever before organized. 
Every man was sworn to total abstinence from spirituous 
liquors, tobacco, gambling and from visiting any places of im- 
morality. Profanity was made a ground of prompt dismissal 
from the company. Politeness of address and chivalrous cour- 
tesy of demeanor in private as well as public relations, were 
rigidly exacted. To exact these things from those under his 
influence and command was but to enforce upon them the 
unwritten statutes of his own heart by which his life was re- 
gulated and controlled. In less than one year after the or- 
ganization of this company, it became under his instruction 
5 



34 

the best drilled, the best equipped and the most efficient for 
action ever seen in America and probably in the world. For 
their proficiency in drill they won a stand of colors at the 
Illinois State Fair. 

In 18G0, Col. Ellsworth with his Zouaves visited New 
York, Boston and many of the principal cities of the east 
and was everywhere received with enthusiasm and his 
fame and that of his Zouaves at once became national. Re- 
turning to Chicago, he organized a regiment and tendered 
its services to the state. He was then but twenty-three 
years of age, yet the ambition of his life had been partially 
satisfied. He had become the leader of a military organi- 
zation and his whole soul seemed wrapped up in its success. 
It was during Ellsworth's residence in Illinois that he 
formed the acquaintance of Abraham Lincoln and became 
a student in his office, commenced the study of the law and 
in the campaign of 1860, which resulted in the election of 
Mr. Lincoln, Ellsworth took an active part. His acquaint- 
ance with Mr. Lincoln resulted in an attachment between 
them as lasting as their lives, and at the earnest solicitation 
of the president elect, Ellsworth accompanied him on his 
eventful journey to the capital. Such was Mr. Lincoln's es- 
timate of his abilities as a military man that he intended 
assigning him to a high position in the War Department 
with a view to the thorough reorganization of that branch 
of the military service. But the rebellion came suddenly 
upon us and any position in civil life was then ill-suited to 
his bold and intrepid spirit. The lightnings of civil war, 
which as a bolt from heaven shivered the solid walls of 
Sumter, kindled within his breast, a flame of military en- 
thusiasm and patriotic devotion, which mounted higher 
and higher until quenched in his own blood. On the 15th 
day of April, 1861, Abraham Lincoln issued his first pro- 
clamation for 75000 volunteers and Ellsworth immediately 
sought and obtained permission to recruit for the call. 
Hastening to New York city he at once enters upon his 
work with all the energy and enthusiasm of his nature. 



35 

On the 18tli day of April, only three days after the pro- 
mulgation, the following notice appeared in the New York 
daily papers : 

" The New York Firemen Zouave Regiment.'' 

" Col. Ellsworth, of Zouave fame, has commenced the 
organization of a Zouave regiment in this city, to be com- 
posed entirely of members of the Fire Department. None 
other are to be received but those who have done service 
in the department and are able-bodied men, and are willing 
to submit to the hardships that are encountered by the 
volunteers. A meeting of the chief of the department and 
leading members, will be held this morning, in order to 
make a final decision as to what course they will pursue. 

" In connection with the above the following poster has 
been distributed : 

" Down with Secession ! 
" The Union must and shall be preserved. 
" To the members of the New York Fire Department : 

" The Government appeals to the New York Fire De- 
partment for one regiment of Zouaves. The subscriber is 
detailed in New York for the purpose of drilling and 
equipping the regiment after being organized. The com- 
panies will be allowed to select their own ofiicers. 

" Col. Ellsworth, 

" of Chicago Zouaves." 



On the following day, April 19th, the New York Herald 
contained this notice : 

" The Fire Department Zouaves." 

"One of the prominent features of the expedition to be 
sent from this city, for the defense of the federal govern- 
ment, will be the military corps organized from the brave 



36 

firemen of ISTew York. Colonel Ellsworth of the Chicago 
Zouaves has deeply interested himself in this movement 
and has in connection with the principal ofiicers of the 
Fire Department of the city issued the following circular : 

" First Regiment N. Y. Zouaves, 

" Head Quarters 5th Avenue Hotel. 

*' To the .Firemen^ Officers^ Active and Exempt Members and 
Friends of the Fire Department : 

" Gentlemen : We are entering upon a struggle for the 
maintenance of our government, our institutions and our 
national honor. The compliment has been paid you of 
applying for a fall regiment of your own men. The fire- 
men of New York must give an account of themselves in 
this contest.- We appeal to you to turn out and give Ells- 
worth a regiment of firemen who can sustain the name 
of the New York Fire Department under any and all cir- 
cumstances." 

On the same day recruiting stations for this regiment 
were opened in various parts of the city. It might 
be asked why Ellsworth made choice of the firemen of 
New York city, as the men out of whom his regiment 
w as to be formed ? why these bold, reckless and indomi- 
table spirits were the only ones to be received into his 
command? He himself has best answered it. In reply to 
a friend who made inquiry of him as to his motive in this 
selection, he said : " I want the New York firemen for there 
are no more efifective men in the country and none with 
whom I can do so much. Our friends at Washington are 
sleeping on a volcano and I want men who are ready at 
any moment to plunge into the thickest of the fight." 
While others pronounced the insurrection an adventure 
of but sixty days' duration how clearly he saw and appre- 
ciated the extent of the danger, how clearly the only way 
to meet it. He saw the whole south in arms, the constitu- 
tion of the Republic and its flag trampled in the dust, its 
fortresses surrendered with shameless treachery, treason 



37 

lurking in every department of the government, star after 
star going out in the national galaxy, a confederacy of 
revolted states organized with all the machinery of na- 
tional and state government in full and complete operation, 
the approaches to Washington from the north beset with 
danger while to the southward, and in the very face of the 
capita], flaunted the defiant banner of revolt, beneath which 
it was hourly expected an attack would be made upon the 
beleaguered city, while in his ear was ringing the echo of 
Sumter's guns, sounding the death knell of the departed 
union. 

It was at such an hour as this that he wanted men, not 
for pomp and parade, not for show, not for idle review, but 
men of lofty daring, imbued with courage and heroism 
akin to his own, and who, in his own language, would be 
" ready at any moment to plunge into the thickest of the 
fight." On the morning of April 20th Colonel Ellsworth 
issued his first order as follows : 

" First Regiment New York Zouaves. 

" The members of the above organization will assemble at 
their company head quarters this evening at 7 o'clock pro- 
ceed to Palace garden for the purpose of final organization 
and election of oflicers. 

" By order of 

" E. E. Ellsworth, 
" Colonel Commanding.'' 



The meeeting of the several companies at Palace garden 
at the time mentioned in the foregoing order disclosed the 
fact that already twelve hundred firemen had been en- 
rolled under Ellsworth's command. It was at this meeting 
that a full regimental organization was perfected and Ells- 
worth chosen by the unanimous voice of the regiment as 
its colonel, and in the evening he received orders from the 
War Department, directing his future movements. Thus 



38 

within five days after the call for volunteers, and within 
forty-eight hours after he entered upon the work of raising 
his regiment, Colonel Ellsworth, as the result of his in- 
domitable energy and acknowledged ability stood at the 
head of twelve hundred brave men, ready to march to the 
front. From this time, until the hour of his departure, 
Colonel Ellsworth was constantly engaged in drilling and 
equipping his command. At last the order came for him 
to move his regiment to Washington, and on the 30th of 
April, selecting eleven hundred picked men out of the 
twenty-three hundred who had enlisted under his call, he 
started for the seat of war. The rumor of his intended de- 
parture was the signal for a grand ovation to the command 
and its commander. Wherever they appeared they were 
hailed with shouts of the wildest 'enthusiasm and Colonel 
Ellsworth was everywhere the centre of all eyes and all 
hearts. 

The president of the fire department, in presenting a stand 
of colors to the regiment, said to Colonel Ellsworth as he 
placed them in his hands : " Take them, place them in the 
midst of your gallant band, and wherever the fight is the 
thickest and the bullets fly the fastest, let this banner be 
borne, and may you and your comrades, in the hour of 
trial and battle, remember the proud motto emblazoned 
upon it : ' The Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall 
wave.' Let this be your war-cry as you rush to the onset. 
Let it nerve your arms and fire your hearts. Wave this 
banner in triumph only and do you bring it back, though 
it be tattered and torn in the fight. Swear by this flag to 
live, by this flag to die." 

Though no such oath was necessary on the part of Colonel 
Ellsworth and his brave men, yet in accepting the colors, 
he took occasion to make this solemn vow : " I do not know," 
he said, " that any of the hard duty I have had to perform 
within the last ten days could compare to the task now 
before me. There are many things I had rather undertake 
than to express the sentiments of the firemen composing 



39 

this regiment. As far as the duty to come is concerned, 
lam with them, one in feeling and sentiment. ButI cannot, 
to the fullest extent, participate in all the feelings of pleasure 
they must experience in receiving this beautiful stand of 
colors from their old companions. It is peculiarly pleasing 
to them, leaving here as they are about to do, to attempt 
a new and untried duty, to receive this token of interest in 
proof that their movements will be watched, their every act 
regarded, and the pride that the department will take in 
whatever they may achieve. If any thing could add to the 
eagerness with which they depart upon their duty, it would 
be the fact that the best feelings, not only of the fire de- 
partment but of the citizens of N"ew York at large, are with 
them. I know, this, for I believe that, although my ac- 
quaintance with them is brief, I fully understand their 
feelings. And what I say for myself, I say for all of them, 
that so long as any of us live, so long as one single arm 
responds to the promptings of the heart, this flag will not 
be disgraced by any act of the 'New York Zouaves. We 
s hall carry that flag into battle. On behalf of the regiment 
I will say, that should we come back, we will bring back 
these colors as pure and as unsullied as they are now. To 
this we pledge our lives." 

Oh ! with what stern fidelity he kept that oath ! In three 
short weeks he brought that banner back to you, not with 
his strong right arm, but folded over his bleeding breast, 
unstained, but with his heart's best blood. Leaving New 
York on the 30th of April he reached the capital on the 
3d of May, where he immediately went into camp and 
devoted his time and attention to the discipline of his regi- 
ment. 

Washington was now garrisoned with 20,000 troops, and 
the people were growing impatient for an advance. Every 
day thousands of armed forces from the north were hurrying 
to the front all along the border of the rebellious states, but 
as yet, no invasion of any of these states had been ordered or 
taken place. No efibrt had been made to reassert or enforce 



40 

federal authority over any portion of the seceded territory. 
The government was content, for the time being, to make 
secure what it already possessed. At last, on the 23d day 
of May, 1861, the long looked for order came, and 13,000 
troops were detached with instructions to march into Vir- 
ginia and take possession of Alexandria on the Virginia 
side of the Potomac, seven miles belowWashington. It 
was the first offensive movement on the part of the go- 
vernment against the confederacy and at once attracted the 
attention of the whole nation. In this movement. Colonel 
Ellsworth became deeply interested. While others looked 
on with indifference or patiently waited for orders, he, 
learning of the intended advance, sought the commanding 
general and begged the privilege of having a place assigned 
him in this first forward movement of the war. His request 
was granted and he was placed in command of that portion 
of troops which was to descend the river and enter the city 
from the front, while the other division was to cross long 
bridge, march upon Alexandria and attack it from the rear. 
Something of his heroic daring, lofty patriotism and 
generous spirit, may be gathered from the following address 
to his regiment, the night preceding the advance. Calling 
his men into line, he said : " Boys, yesterday I understood 
that a movement was to be made against Alexandria. I 
went to see General Mansfield and told him that I would 
consider it as a personal affront if he would not allow us 
to have the right of the line, which is our due, as the first 
volunteer regiment sworn in for the war. All I can say, 
is prepare yourselves for a nice little sail and at the end of it, 
a skirmish. Go to your tents, lie down and take your rest 
until two o'clock, when the boat will arrive and we go 
forward to victory or death. When we reach the place of 
destination, act as men. Do nothing to shame the regiment. 
Show the enemy that you are men as well as soldiers and 
that you will treat them with kindness until they force you 
to use violence. I want to kill them with kindness. Go 
to your tents and do as I tell you." 



41 

What determined courage and generous kindness breathed 
in every word of that brief address. Returning to his silent 
tent, he then spoke to others, separated far from him, words 
so full of filial tenderness and patriotic devotion ; of such 
manly courage and sublime trust, that I should do violence 
to his memory should I withhold them. 

" Washington, D. C, May 23, 1861. 

" My Dear Father and Mother : The regiment is ordered 
to move across the river to-night. We have no means of 
knowing what reception we are to meet with. I am in- 
clined to the opinion that our entrance to the city of Alex- 
andria will be hotly contested, as I am just informed that 
a large force has arrived there to-day. Should this happen, 
my dear parents, it may be my lot to be injured in some 
m.anner. Whatever may happen, cherish the consolation 
that I was engaged in the performance of a sacred duty ; 
and to-night, thinking of the probabilities of to-morrow and 
the occurrences of the past, I am perfectly content to accept 
whatever my fortune may be, confident that He who noteth 
even the fall of a sparrow, will have some purpose even in 
the fall of one like me. My darling and ever-loved parents, 
good bye, God bless, protect and care for you . 

"Elmer." 



What need of granite or epitaph. Here is a monument 
imperishable as history ; should that shaft grow infirm upon 
its solid base and topple into ruin, here is a nobler monument 
as enduring as time. Fittingly have you engraven upon 
this marble shaft these sacred words : " He who noteth even 
the fall of a sparrow, will have some purpose even in the 
fall of one like me." Well might you have also inscribed 
on its summit, where the first light of the opening day 
might illumiiiate it, this other sentiment : " I was engaged 
in the performance of a sacred duty." On the 24th, at two 
o'clock, the troops were in motion, and in the first gray of 
6 



42 

the morning Ellsworth was in front of Alexandria. He 
was one of the first to land and comprehending at a glance 
the necessities of the situation, he ordered one detachment 
to tear up the railroad while he, with another, hurried to 
seize the telegraph station, to prevent all knowledge of the 
movement being sent to Richmond. On his way through 
the streets, his eyes caught sight of a confederate flag flying 
over the Marshal House. Instantly his loyal heart was on 
fire with all that love for the old flag, and hatred for its 
rival, of which his lofty nature was susceptible : he saw 
in his own, all he had been taught to hold sacred and dear ; 
in that, all he abhorred. This was the banner of our fathers, 
that of their recreant children ; this spoke of union, that 
of disunion ; this of strength, that of weakness ; this of a 
glorious past, that of a doubtful future ; this of loyalty, that 
of treason ; this of liberty, that of slavery ; this of a govern- 
ment for all the people, that of a government for the few ; 
this of equality, that of caste ; this of the nobility of man- 
hood, that of the nobility of ancestry; this of everything 
dear to the true American heart, that of everything which 
it could not honor, nor respect ; this spoke of one country, 
one people and one flag eternal and indivisible, that of a 
divided country, a discordant people and a dishonored flag. 

Seeing and feeling all this, as one with Ellsworth's na- 
ture could, we may understand something of the signiflcance 
of his heroic deed as he uttered the cry, " That flag must 
come down," and suiting the action to the word, bounded 
like lightning to the stafl" and with his own hand tore it 
down but while bearing it away in triumph, the assassin's 
bullet enters his manly breast and he falls. " Oh ! what a 
fall was there my countrymen. Then you and I and all of us 
fell down, while bloody treason flourished over us." Say 
not it was rashness or folly, say not that it was a useless 
sacrifice, but rather remember and cherish it as an act of 
the sublimest heroism and purest self sacrificing devotion. 

It was love for the flag which prompted it. It was this 
love for the flag which prompted a nation to rally round it 



43 

in its defense. It was this love for the flag which kept it 
flying over city and fortress, to be lowered only as the last 
act of surrender. It was this love for the flag which in- 
spired that ringing order from your own heroic Dix : " If 
any man attempt to haul down the American flag, shoot 
him on the spot." It was this love for the flag, which 
flung it to the breeze over the rebellious city of New 
Orleans, on the anniversary of "Washington's birth-day, be- 
neath which an hundred armed men held a mob at bay and 
kept it flying, until the going down of the sun. It was 
this love for the flag, which warmed the breast of that brave 
soldier at Vicksburg, who, when his comrades deserted him , 
refused to retrace his steps and planting his colors within 
twenty yards of the enemy's rifle pits, stood by them all 
the day long. It was this love for the flag which kept it 
flying over the crumbling walls of Sumter amidst shot and 
shell and only lowering it at lagt with the honors of a na- 
tional salute. It was this love for the flag which gave voice 
to that sublime declaration of Major Anderson, the hero 
of Sumter : " Grod Almighty nailed that flag to the mast 
and I could not have lowered it, if I had tried." It was this 
love for the flag which inspired the minister of the Gospel 
to exclaim : "Let the flag of our country wave from the 
spire of every church in the land, with nothing above it 
but the cross of Christ." It was this love for the flag which 
fllled the soul of the dying soldier at Belmont, who with 
both limbs shot away, was found singing, in death, " The 
Star Spangled Banner." It was this unutterable love for 
the flag, which no prison terrors could destroy, that 
prompted the boys at Libby, on the anniversary of their 
country's independence, to tear up their scanty clothing of 
red, white and blue and blend it together on their prison 
wall, in imitation of their country's flag. Akin to this was 
Ellsworth's love for his flag and with such love the act 
which cost him his life, was a deed of lofty heroism. 

Concealing his death from his command, for fear of 
terrible vengeance on the whole city, his lifeless remains 



44 

were borne back to Washington and at the request of Pre- 
sident Lincoln were placed in state at the Executive Man- 
sion. His death was the subject of general comment and 
universal sorrow from the chief executive of the nation 
to the humblest citizen in the land. 

A correspondent, who visited the Executive Mansion on 
the morning of the 25th of May, gives the following account 
of how the news of Ellsworth's fall was received by Presi- 
dent Lincoln. He said : " I called at the White House this 
morning with Senator Wilson of Massachusetts to see the 
president on a matter of pressing public business and as 
we entered the library, we marked the president standing 
before a window, looking across the Potomac, running at 
the foot of the presidential grounds. He did not move 
until we approached very closely when he turned round 
abruptly and advanced toward us extending his hand, 
saying, ' Excuse me, but* I cannot talk.' We supposed 
his voice had given way for some cause or other and we 
were just about to inquire, when to our surprise, the pre- 
sident burst into tears and concealed his face in his hand- 
kerchief. He walked up and down the room for some 
moments and we stepped aside in silence, not a little moved 
at such an unusual spectacle in such a man and in such a 
place. After composing himself somewhat, the president 
took his seat and desired us to approach. He said : ' I 
will make no apology, gentlemen, for my weakness ; but 
I knew poor Ellsworth well and held him in great regard. 
Just as you entered the room. Captain Fox left me, after 
giving me the painful details of Ellsworth's unfortunate 
death. The event was so unexpected and the recital so 
touching that it quite unnerved me.' The president here 
made a violent effort to restrain his emotions and after a 
pause, he proceeded to give us the incidents of the tragedy. 
As he closed his relation he exclaimed : ' Poor fellow ! it was 
undoubtedly an act of rashness, but it only shows the heroic 
spirit that animates our soldiers, from high to low, in this 
righteous cause of ours. Yet who can restrain their grief 



45 

to see them fall in such a way as this ; not by the fortunes 
of war, but by the hand of an assassin.' There is one fact 
that has reached me, which is of great consolation to my 
heart and quite a relief after this melancholy affair : I learn 
from several persons that when the Stars and Stripes were 
raised again in Alexandria many of the people actually 
wept for joy and manifested the liveliest gratification at 
seeing this familiar and loved emblem once more floating 
above them." Let this consolation be ours and not only 
that it waves over Alexandria but that this " familiar and 
loved emblem" once more floats over every foot of Ameri- 
can soil, amidst the universal rejoicings of a united people. 

It is said that in the early days of the rebellion, our flag 
was placed vdthin a rude coffin and borne in mimic sorrow 
through the streets of Memphis and lowered to its grave, 
in token of its final death. Little was it thought that so 
soon, amid the thunders of war, it was to come forth again, 
redeemed and purified by the blood of martyrs, to hold 
sovereign sway for ever and ever. 

Fellow Citizens : Commendable as have been your efforts 
to give expression to your estimate of his private and public 
virtues, yet no monumental marble can fittingly proclaim 
the true nobility of his character. Had you lain its founda- 
tion stones broad and deep upon the immutable granite, 
it would not have been firmer than were his convictions of 
duty : had its summit pierced the heavens, it would not have 
been loftier than was his patriotism ; had you burnished its 
sides until they were as resplendent as the noon-day sun, 
it would not have been brighter than his heroic deeds : 
had you chiseled his name so deep into its marble front 
that it might defy the ravages of time, it would not have 
been more enduring than was his fidelity. For this high 
sense of duty which gave stability to his purposes ; for this 
exalted patriotism, which acknowledged no restraint ; for 
this sublime heroism, which was insensible to danger ; for 
this unswerving fidelity, which no power could alienate or 
corrupt, and for this pure life and heroic death, will his name 



46 

go down among tlie brightest of history, to the latest gene- 
ration. And though this marble prove treacherous to its 
sacred charge and crumble into ruin : should all knowledge 
even of the spot where his ashes rest, fade from the memory 
of living men : yet so long as our banner rides on the breeze, 
so long as a solitary star remains to light up its folds, so 
long as a single arm can be found to be raised in its defense, 
just so long will the memory of his virtues and his valor be 
perpetuated and preserved. 

Be it ours to emulate his example and may the time 
speedily come when all bearing the proud name of an 
American citizen from every quarter of the Republic, for- 
getting the bitterness of the past and looking forward only 
to the grand possibilities of the future, shall stand together 
in fraternal unity and peace beneath the banner of our 
fathers, lifting no arm but in its defense, breathing no prayer 
but for its protection, and thus sustained and upheld by the 
invincible power of a united people, may it float forever on 
land and sea, the pride of the nation and the hope of the 
world. 



MUSIC. 

March, "The Soldier's Farewell." 

POEM. 

Mr. W. H. McElroy of Albany read the following ori- 
ginal poem : 

" This world of ours, this wise old world," 

" Shouts out to every son 
" Whose flag in life's great fight's unfurled — 

" Look out for number one 
" Be earnest, plucky, watch and wait, 
" Confusion seize the sleeper, 
But on the march don't carry weight " 
You're not your brother's keeper. 



47 

At all of us these worldly cries 

Forever more are stouted 
No word about self sacrifice, 

No pity for the routed : 
We're trumpeted to do our best 

To lead the marshalled host, 
And — let the Devil take the rest 

The halting hindermost. 

And spiritless would be the march, 

And oft would droop the banners, 
Did there not sound down Heaven's arch, 

Clear as the stars' hosannas, 
A voice that makes the dark ways clear, 

That prompts sublime endeavor, 
By teaching that the life lost here 

Is found up there forever. 

The old man kissed the negro child 

Held up beside the scaffold, 
He marked the fatal noose and smiled, 

And what was death but baffled ? 
The pulseless heart of old John Brown, 

In silent grave they bury. 
His soul time's path goes marching down — 

No halt for Harper's Ferry ! 

A lone star flag floats in the air. 

And bright young eyes have spied it; 
Who strikes it low had best prepare 

To lay his life beside it : 
The hand which hauled it down forsooth 

Knocked at Death's ebon portal. 
It oped and lo ! God's fount of youth 

And Ellsworth was immortal ! 

Friends hedged him round, friends fond and true. 

Fame caught him in her meshes, 
Skies spread above him cloudless blue — 

Whose future was so precious ? 
But as his life burst into bloom 

He manfully resigned it — 
And this the lesson from his tomb 

(Who lose their life shall find it). 



48 

He laid his life in weakness down, 

And at the self same hour 
The cross changed to a victor's crown, 

And weakness rose in power. 
Thenceforth he led a two-fold life, 

One in celestial regions, 
The other in the crimson strife 

Still fighting 'mid the legions. 

Still fighting, when the lightning bore 

The tidings to the nation. 
That Elmer Ellsworth never more 

Might toil for her salvation. 
Then, ere his sword could gather rust, 

A countless host embraced it. 
And swore the flag he trailed in dust 

Should stay where he had placed it. 

So, being dead, he spoke and fought — 

In battle's fiercest brunt, 
His mem'ry deeds of valor taught, 

Still kept him in the front, 
Still saw his comrades on his breast 

A golden circlet i gleaming 
" Non nobis sed pro patria," 

The best of mottoes deeming. 

To-day, as rolls Potomac's stream 

No picket guard stands by it ; 
'Twould seem like ravings of a dream 

To ask if all was quiet. 
Long since the sword forgot its foes, 

And lost its love of harming, 
And now, beat to a plow, it shows 

All that it knows of farming. 

The angel of peace with us abides 
To shape the future story — 

To urge us on with rapid strides 
From glory unto glory. 



1 When Ellsworth was shot at Alexandria, the bullet from Jackson's (his 
murderer's) gun drove a gold circlet which the young hero had worn 
on his breast into his heart. It bore the inscription, " Non nobis sed pro 
patria. " 



49 

But if Secession ever wills 

To raise the old cry louder, 
Then God again will run His mills 

And grind it into powder. 

Rest here amid the flowers of May , 

Thou to fell treason fateful, 
We plant this shaft and thus would say. 

The Country's not ungrateful. 
To-day her spirit's hovering here, 

0, more than flow'r of Sparta, 
She names thee, dearest of her dear, 

Fair freedom's foremost martyr. 



ADDRESS. 

Lieutenant Francis E. Brownell, U. S. A. spoke as follows : 
It has been often charged, even by those who intend to 
honor Ellsworth, that he lost his life while committing a 
very rash and reckless act; and some military men, in- 
spired, perhaps, by not the most laudable of motives, have 
insisted that the young soldier lacked the very principle 
which he exacted from others, discipline and obedience to 
orders. To me it is plain that he sacrificed his life in the 
endeavor to preserve order and enforce discipline. The 
history of the foundation of his regiment, of the unexampled 
feat accomplished in its organization and equipment, the 
difficulties he encountered and the obstacles placed i,n his 
way by those who looked with jealous eyes upon his achieve- 
ments and the discouragements, vexations and annoyances 
of the few days spent in Washington prior to the fatal morn- 
ing of the 24th of May, 1861, will show the groundlessness 
of the charge. 

Let me briefly rehearse the events preceding the tragedy. 
On the 17th of April, 1861, Ellsworth left Washington for 
the city of ISTew York, for the purpose of organizing his 
regiment. The two following days he spent in consultation^ 
with the representatives of the ISTew York fire department. 
7 



50, 

On the 22d the rolls were full and two companies had been 
formed for each letter of the regiment. The question then 
was not who should go, but who should be left behind. 
Ellsworth settled the matter with his usual promptness and 
decision by placing the companies opposite each other and 
selecting those who he wished to have go, from appearance 
of the men. 

On the 25th of April we were uniformed and, with the 
exception of arms, equipped for the field. The 26th was 
spent in the endeavor to procure arms from the State, and 
not being successful Ellsworth appealed to the men whose 
generosity and patriotism enabled him to raise the regiment, 
for aid in this particular. They nobly responded by sub- 
scribing some $60,000, with which Sharp's rifles of various 
calibre were purchased. These rifles, which were of ten 
different patterns, were placed in our hands on Sunday, the 
28th, and it was announced in the papers that we should leave 
for "Washington on that day. The announcement proved 
premature; but on the following day, escorted by the l^ew 
York fire department, amid the cheers of countless thou- 
sands, the regiment took up its line of march for the point of 
embarkation. While on the march, new obstacles presented 
themselves. Ellsworth received orders from the major 
general commanding the milita in New York, sent to him, 
I have understood, from the headquarters at Albany, not to 
leave the city. On the corner of Broadway and Canal street 
he received a more peremptory order not to leave and the 
regiment was halted. Here Major General Wool, com- 
manding the department of the East, came up, and Ellsworth 
appealed to him. Wool enquired why they wished to detain 
him, to which he replied that the only reason he knew of 
was that he had a few more men than the state militia law 
recognized. At this time it must be recollected we had 
not yet been mustered into the service of the United States. 
Wool replied, "If that is all, you have my permission to 
proceed." The regiment then resumed its march, embarked 
upon the steamer Baltic for Annapolis, and upon its arrival 



51 

there proceeded by rail to Washington. It was then quar- 
tered in the capital. The city was full of unorganized and 
undisciplined troops and depredations of all sorts were 
committed almost with impunity. Some of these were 
charged upon our regiment. Ellsworth, with that true 
chivalry and generosity which characterized him, paid the 
damage, and from that time out every act of plunder was 
laid upon the Fire Zouaves. 

I do not wish to convey the idea that our regiment was 
any better than the others, but this I do know ; it was not 
much worse and many of the acts committed by others 
were falsely accredited to us. Ellsworth's soul, trained in 
the severest school of discipline, revolted at the disorder 
and he procured an order changing our quarters from the 
capital to the eastern shore of the Potomac. Here he bent 
his energies to the task before him. Drills were undertaken, 
discipline enforced. Now came rumors of an intended 
invasion of the sacred soil. Ellsworth knew that once in 
the field he could the more readily compel obedience and 
make soldiers of his men, than he could in the vicinity 
of the demoralized city of Washington. Ellsworth asked 
to be sent to Virginia ; the citizens of Alexandria, held 
upon parole by the guns of the Pawnee, requested that if 
tlieir town was to be occupied the Fire Zouaves should not 
be sent among them. Ellsworth was told that he might go 
on one condition, viz : that if any breaches of discipline or 
misbehavior occurred the regiment should be mustered out 
of service. To many here present to-day such a contingency 
would seem slight. You who were in the service at that 
time and fully appreciate the term, will agree with me when 
I say that Ellsworth might rather have been mustered out 
if possible a hundred times by the angel of death than have 
had the threatened disgrace put upon him. Up to the day 
before we left for Alexandria we had never received any- 
thing from the hands of the general government except 
rations, and camp and garrison equipage. Overcoats and 
new arms promised us in New York never came. This 



52 

treatment naturally caused considerable feeling among a 
portion of the men, and all these things made Ellsworth 
anxious for the conduct of the regiment upon which his 
future military career so largely depended. I shall never 
forget the concluding remark made to us in a brief ad- 
dress about eleven o'clock the night before his death. 
" No matter," said he, " what may occur to-morrow, not a 
shot must be fired without proper orders 5" and so far as I 
know this order was not violated save in the single instance 
following his death. After crossing the river, Ellsworth 
left the regiment, in company with the Rev. Mr. Dodge, 
chaplain, a Mr. Winser and Mr. House, correspondent of 
the New York Tribune, with the intention of ascertaining 
the condition of affairs in the city ; a guard of five accom- 
panied him. When we came within sight of the Marshall 
House, with the rebel flag flying, Ellsworth directed the ser- 
geant to return to the regiment, which was scarcely five 
squares distant and entirely out of sight, and order Captain 
Coyle with Co. A to the scene as quickly as possible. He 
then passed on beyond the house, but, doubtless reflecting 
that the sight of the flag would enrage the men and might 
lead to the very consequences he was endeavoring to avoid, 
turned back, passed into the house and, while coming down 
the stairs with the flag upon his arm, laid down his life — 
as I claim, a sacrifice to his country and his endeavor to 
preserve order. I have always felt that his animating pur- 
pose was simply to preserve the peace. A word from him 
and the Marshall House would have been levelled to the 
dust. He was too brave a man to order the guard to go 
where he would not, and it was too small to think of divid- 
ing it, and too noble himself to think for a moment that the 
very person he was trying to shield would assassinate him. 
It was not bravado that inspired his deed and led to his 
death, but rather the simple, manly, direct way a prudent 
soldier under all the circumstances would have adopted to 
save a town from sacking and its inhabitants from slaughter. 



53 



MUSIC. 



Music. — Descriptive Fantasia, " Recollections of the 
siege of St. Petersburgh." 



COMMUNICATION. 

The Secretary then read the following communication 
from the United States Zouave Cadets at Chicago : 

" At a meeting of the surviving members of the United 
States Zouave Cadets held at the Sherman House, in 
Chicago, on Friday May 22d, 1874, it was announced that 
the monument erected at Mechanicsville, New York, above 
the grave of Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth, the original com- 
mander of this company, would be unveiled on Wednesday, 
the 27th instant. 

" On motion a committee composed of Freeman Conner, 
E. B. Knox, and Sidney P. Walker, was appointed to pre- 
pare a suitable expression of the sentiment of those present. 
The address as prepared was unanimously adopted and is 
as follows : 

" The surviving members of the United States Zouave 
Cadets desire to express our gratification at the merited 
and timely recognition of the chivalrous valor of one who 
was once our youthful commander. Whoever honors him 
touches a chord to which our hearts instinctively respond. 
We deeply regret our inability to be present at the beau- 
tiful and interesting ceremonies. We send these im- 
perfect expressions of our sympathy and love to those 
who are his own blood, and also to those of our country- 
men who have united in rearing this memorial, and pos- 
sess in common with ourselves the heritage of his fame. 
We would remind you, friends, that while this beautiful 
monument will serve to express our devotion to his memory, 
it can not add to the lustre of the name of Ellsworth. He 
carved his own monument, out of material as lasting as the 



54 

granite Mils, broad at the base, and with an apex towering 
amid the clouds. By one act of heroic self-sacrifice he 
leaped to the summit, and with the eyes of the whole world 
fixed upon his solitary figure, contented thus and then to 
die. The ' glory which springs from the soldier's sepul- 
chre' is.his forevermore. The violets bloom above him, 
and glisten with the precious chrysm of a nation's tears. 
While you clasp hands about his grave, friends and country- 
men, may you feel the union of our hearts and yours in 
the prayer ' God bless our native land ! ' 

" May the genius of liberty seem to whisper in your ears, 
that while the love of freedom dwells in human hearts, 
the cause of patriotism shall not fail of such heroic blood. 

"Freeman Connor, Chairman. 

" E. B. Knox, Secretary:' 



REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT. 

The President spoke as follows : 

Fellow Citizens : The absence of General Viele, who is the 
next speaker on this programme, brings these interesting 
ceremonies to a close. But before this audience is dismissed, 
I cannot forego taking a liberty which is not upon the pro- 
gramme and that is to express what I believe to be the 
sentiment of every person, of praise and gratitude to the 
gentlemen who have formed the Ellsworth Monument 
Association and the Local Executive Committee who, not- 
withstanding all kinds of discouragements, have labored and 
worked in this cause of love and affection until success at- 
tended their efforts and they have seen this triumphant day — 
much is due to them. Their efforts have been persistent, 
without interruption. No history will record their deeds 
and it is but a fitting termination to these ceremonies that 
we should give them the praise and credit that is due them 
for the services that they have rendered ; which have cul- 
minated in the erection of that beautiful monument. 
Fellow Citizens, there is one more point and that is the pre- 



55 

sence here of so many veterans, scarred and maimed, and 
the splendid staff of officers who have come here to join in 
this tribute of praise. Many are in uniform and many 
are in citizen's dress, standing in the background, yet who 
could tell us more than we ever knew of the hardships, 
trials, courage and energies required to serve three years 
in the army of the Republic. To those we here give credit 
and honor and especially to the officers and members of that 
regiment known as the " Ellsworth Avengers," the 44th. 
You will see their badges scattered around and the wearers 
quiet and unobtrusive, but with hearts filled with patriotic 
fire, that shall only be extinguished when they lay down 
their lives. "We should remember these men and not fail 
to do them honor and credit. Above all let me thank 
the committee of arrangements, and especially the ladies 
who have labored or worked so hard and so nobly in the'cause 
until their hearts rejoice when a little more of their services 
will be required to complete the pleasure of this occasion. 
Deity himself has smiled upon us here and everything has 
passed off without blemish and without fault. The com- 
mittee have reason to be thankful and rejoice not only in 
the triumphs celebrated here to-day, but in the fact that 
they are celebrated by so many in our midst. I am re- 
minded, in alluding to the 44th regiment, the Ellsworth 
Regiment, that these two symbols to the right and left of the 
stand are the symbols they bore through the brunt of the 
war, and they bear many honors. 

The exercises will now close with the Benediction by the 
Chaplain. 

BEKEDICTIOK 
The Rev. Mr. Flagler, the Chaplain, then pronounced 
the following Benediction : Great God of nations look in 
mercy upon us and grant that we may all become the true 
soldiers of Christ and at last meet one great and Divine Com- 
mander in heaven. May grace, mercy and peace abide with 
us forever. Amen. 



56 



THE HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

General E. F. Bullard, of Troy. 

All great revolutions in which the cause of humanity 
has been advanced, have had their baptism in blood. 

Ellsworth, the first hero martyr of our last American 
armed conflict, had his birthplace upon the plains of 
Saratoga within ten miles of the locality where the memora- 
ble battle of Stillwater was fought. 

When we look to the history of this country and find 
that for over two centuries its soil has been enriched by 
the best blood of the race in its struggle for freedom, we 
are almost in doubt which has the greater honor, Saratoga 
for being the place of his nativity, or Ellsworth for being 
the offspring of that historic ground. 

On the 4th day of July, 1609, Charaplain, the represen- 
tative of the French, first entered this State through the 
lake, since bearing his name and on the 30th day of the 
same month fought, with the then peaceful natives, the first 
battle that history has recorded as having taken place 
within its borders. 

Only a few days later, and in September of the same 
year, Hendrick Hudson discovered one of the most beauti- 
ful rivers upon the globe, and in the famous Halfmoon, 
as early as October, 1609, sailed up to the mouth of the 
Mohawk, landed upon the banks at Saratoga and named 
that point Halfmoon. The dust of Ellsworth now reposes in 
the town of that name, upon the banks of the river at our 
feet, only eight miles above the point where Hudson then 
made his landing. Only a few years later, and in 1620, 
the Puritans landed at Plymouth rock, and from thence 
westward advanced in their career of moral conquest. 

From the day when Champlain reached this country, 
until the treaty made between France and England, Feb- 
ruary 10, 1763, when the former ceded to England all of 



57 

its dominion on this continent, the valley of the upper 
Hudson, and the soil of Saratoga has been the highway 
over which have marched and countermarched the armies 
of freedom. From yonder hills the brave C>1. Williams 
led his men into the valley of the Hudson, where he gave 
his life for the cause of our fathers. Here passed the 
Enghsh in 1755 on their way to meet the French and 
savages under Dieskau at Lake George, where the great 
battle was fought under Sir William Johnson, near the 
point where the waters divide and flow northerly into the 
St. Lawrence, and southerly into the New York bay. 
He also passed in 1758 the array of Abercrombie of 17,000 
soldiers on their way to attack the French at Ticonderoga. 
In sight of this place for years the brave men from New Eng- 
land passed on their way to join in the strife of this great 
warfare which has done so much to advance the cause of 
civilization. During that century and a half our sparse 
population were schooled in the armed conflict to determine 
whether the Protestant-English or the Catholic-French 
should be the dominant power on this continent. As the 
consequence of that experience only a few years later the 
infant colonies threw ofi* the foreign yoke and declared 
their manhood July 4, 1776, just 167 years after the arrival 
of Champlain, the first white adventurer in this wilderness. 

On the 19th day of September, 1777, our armies met 
those of the mother country under Burgoyne, at Stillwater, 
and that great battle which turned the tide of the war in 
favor of the colonies was fought upon this range of hills 
within eight miles of the place where we stand to-day 

Thus for nearly two days the soil of Saratoga was con- 
secrated by blood freely shed in the cause of human 
progress, while the hardy sous of native ore were being 
purged into patriots and freemen. 

To show the value of the institutions which Ellsworth 
gave his life to save, it may be interesting to compare this 
country now with what it was ninety years ago at the close 
of the revolutionary war. Then the whole nation had 



58 

about three millions aud now it has forty millions of people. 
Then ISTew York state had but about three hundred thou- 
sand ; now it has over five millions. Then Saratoga county 
had only about three thousand, while now it contains the 
happy homes of over fifty thousand people. 

The monument wo this day dedicate, stands in full view 
of the great channels of travel and commerce, and within 
twelve hours ride, reside more than eight millions of people, 
whose virtue and intelligence are unsurpassed by any other 
nation or people upon the globe. Such was the place 
where our hero first saw the light of day. Such is the 
place upon the banks of the noble Hudson where his ashes 
repose, and upon these Halfmoou heights, the affection 
and patriotism of the nation have erected this monument, 
and as remembrances of the life, the services and the 
martyrdom of the heroic dead. By this act may we con- 
secrate ourselves to the cause of truth and justice, and 
remember that the institutions that he gave his life to sustain 
can only be perpetuated by educating ourselves and our 
posterity to be just, and to do unto others as we would that 
they should do unto us. 

Lincoln loved Ellsworth as he did his own child, and it 
is a remarkable coincidence that one should be the first and 
the other the last martyr of the war. 

Ellsworth was inspired with a great purpose, although 
it was never fully revealed to him. By his example, his 
life and his death, he accomplished more for the cause of 
freedom than he could by a true life of four score years. 
His life was not a failure. He was predestined for the 
mission he made full, aud his name is rightly written in 
the highest niche of fame. 

The following lines were written by Gen. Bullard's wife 
for the occasion. 

We gather here this day to proffer 

A slight memento for the brave ; 
The best our hearts could offer 

Would be poor for such a grave. 



59 

'Tis not gold or gilding, 

That giveth lasting fame ; 
The true heart unyielding, 

To wrong, oppression, shame. 

The hardest stone may crumble, 
Throughout long ages rust ; 

The tallest pile may tumble, 
And mingle with the dust. 

Not so with the martyred dead. 
The centuries make more bright. 

For truth with their names are wed, 
And handed down in light. 

The fleeing years keep adding to 

The lustre always bright ; 
And Ellsworth of the chosen few. 

Hath climbed the highest height. 

He fought not for the spoils of war, 

But saw work to be done j 
His body bore the bullet's scar, 

He gave his life and won. 

On this lofty slope the wind harp plays 
High music, deep, profound ; 

The tall grass to its time doth sway. 
O'er Ellsworth's hallowed mound. 

To view the ground where martyr lies, 
'Tis naught but common clay ; 

Yet he lives beyond the skies 
Centuries as a day. 



FUNERAL SERMON, 

Delivered at Bryan Hall, Chicago, June 2, 1861. 



BY KEY. Z. M. HUMPHREY. 



" In perils, among false brethren." — II Cor., xi, 20. 

The significance of this expression, as illustrated by the 
event vp"hich has brought this assembly together, is too 
obvious to require one word of mine. I will not detain 
you, then, my friends, by carrying your thoughts into 
Asiatic cities, when they so naturally turn towards the 
American Alexandria. I will not speak of traitors in the 
church, when you are thinking only of traitors in the State. 
I will not speak of an Apostle delivered, while you are 
thinking of a Patriot dead. You have come hither to-day 
upon a sad, but honorable errand. You have come with 
martial music, but the strains we have heard were those 
of a requiem. You, soldiers, have brought your cherished 
banners, but they are draped in mourning. It seems but 
yesterday that we were watching a lithe and active figure 
as it led this company — a company of which we all were 
proud — through the complicated evolutions of its drill. 
The echoes of the quick, decisive words of command seem 
even yet to be ringing in our ears, but, alas ! the voice 
that uttered them is hushed forever, and to-day the country 
mourns because her gallant Ellsworth is dead. 

To realize it, is not easy. We know that slaughter is 
thetradeofwar, but assassination is only one of its infre- 
quent incidents, and it is difficult to comprehend that, with- 
out the exposure of a battlefield, the work of war has been 
wrought upon him whose memory we are assembled here 



61 

to hionor, as effectually as if he had fallen at the cannon's 
mouth, or in storming some "imminent and deadly breajch." 
We have all read the story of his death. Let us endeavor 
to make the event seem real by imagining the scene. First, 
picture to your minds a tent in the camp — the full, soft 
moon reveals every outline of its exterior, while within sits 
a manly form, bending over a table, on which materials 
for writing are laid. Lift the curtain, and you see an expres- 
sion of tenderness on the face of the occupant, and, perhaps, 
a tear glistening in his eye, as the pen in his hand rapidly 
traces those messages of love, which the true soldier, with 
a conflict before him, always wishes to send to the absent. 
Then picture a fleet of transports dropping down the Poto- 
mac, as the heavy gray of dawn begins to dim the stars. 
Then, the debarkation, conducted under the level light of 
the rising sun. Then imagine a group of soldiers, with 
Ellsworth at its head, looking up from a street in Alexan- 
dria towards some object, the sight of which arouses the 
strongest emotions in those who behold it. It is the flag 
of treason, floating like a baleful meteor of tri-colored train 
above the house, where, in Revolutionary days, our "Wash- 
ington was accustomed to repose. Next, see the little group 
upon the roof of the house, and clustered about the flag- 
staff. The hand of Ellsworth is on the halyards — down 
comes the defiant bunting — it is gathered into the arms 
of the leader. There is but one more scene to fancy. It 
is within the house. The group of soldiers are on the 
stairs, descending towards the street. First goes a private, 
then the commander bearing his captured trophy. The 
private has reached the floor. Two or three steps behind 
him is the oflnlcer. Quick as thought a half-dressed form 
rushes from a darkened passage. A gun is presented at 
the breast of the ofiicer. It is fired ! There is another ex- 
plosion — then another, followed by the instantaneous 
thrust of a bayonet, and both Ellsworth and his murderer 
are dead. See them, both on their faces, one staining with 
blood the symbol of treachery he still holds in his arms, 
the other still clasping the weapon by which that blood was 



62 

shed. Behold them, and say, would you be, at this moment, 
the patriot or the assassin, both rushing together into the 
presence of their God? 

My friends, we have no coffin before us to-day. There 
is no pale face to convince us by its marble coldness and 
inflexibility, that he whose memory we embalm is dead. 
Do we need it, when, to our shuddering spirits, such a scene 
is revealed ? 

Let us linger upon that scene no longer ; but, turning from 
it, try to do a partial justice to our honored dead, by tracing 
swiftly the history of his life ; by forming some estimate 
of his character; and by unfolding some of the more ob- 
vious thoughts suggested by his brief, but brilliant career. 

In the town of Malta, Saratoga county, New York, 
is a low-browed cottage, which, but for some associated 
event, would scarcely challenge the special attention 
of the stranger ; but that cottage is destined to be known 
and respected, while it stands, as the birth-place of Elmer 
E. Ellsworth, the patriot martyr of Alexandria. Like a 
majority of those whose names the world " will not willingly 
let die," he was cradled, not in luxury, but in rustic 
simplicity, and he was early enured to those habits of manly 
self-dependence by which he was subsequently distin- 
guished. 

The history of his childhood and school days is as yet 
unwritten, but we know that his martial tastes w^ere de- 
veloped at an early period. It has been stated that a part 
of his education was obtained at the Military Academy at 
"West Point, but this I believe is a mistake. He came to 
Chicago in 1855 for peaceful purposes, thinking more of 
machinery than military tactics, but he had not long been 
a resident of this city before he became identified with its 
military interests, and was soon favorably known for his 
soldierly qualities throughout the State. 

Soon after the Crimean war, he became acquainted with 
a French Zouave, and through him obtained a knowledge 
of the peculiar tactics of this modern style of soldier. He 
soon became convinced that this system of tactics could be 



63 

adapted to the American mind and muscle with great ad- 
vantage to the service in some of the exigencies of war ; 
and on making the experiment he soon achieved a success 
whose brilliancy has never been paralleled in the history 
of our citizen soldiery in time of peace. Of that success I 
do not need to remind you. I need not speak of the tri- 
umphal march made by his command through the Eastern 
States last summer. We all felt that that march was an 
honor to our city, and when upon the return of the corps, 
it was announced that they were immediately to disband, 
we felt a regret, something like that with which we would 
see a beautiful and perfected instrument broken in pieces — 
something like that with which we should see a statue 
dashed into fragments j ust as the sculptor has received the 
crown from an admiring world. Then came the reaction , 
and we were tempted to say " What is all this worth ? Have 
we been admiring merely a martial show? Have we been 
only amusing ourselves like children gazing at flamingoes ? ' ' 
But, almost before we had ceased to express our disappoint - 
ment over what seemed to be wasted effort and useless 
pageantry, we were startled by the cry, "to arms !" with 
which our long and flattering peace was broken. Then 
we saw for what high purpose these Zouaves, almost un- 
consciously, had been fitting themselves, and when Col. 
Ellsworth began to collect his regiment from among the 
firemen of Kew York, we felt that no step in his work had 
been in vain. It is safe to say that, although his system 
has not been formally adopted by military authorities of 
our country, it has modified all our military operations. 
The spirit of our departed Ellsworth will yet live in the 
influence he has exerted on our armies ; it will nerve many 
an arm and direct many a blow on the field of battle, as 
his name will be the war-cry with which many a soldier 
will rush into the fray. It was believed, in ancient times, 
that the ghosts of departed warriors hovered over their 
still living companions in arms, when they went out to 
fight, to lead and to help them. It will not be necessary 
that the ghost of Ellsworth should linger about the camp 



64 

over wliicli he lately presided, or precede his late command 
to the contest, while everywhere, in his spirit, his influence, 
his military principles he will live, though in the person of 
those whom he has inspired, he be. struck down a thousand 
times. The murderer's bullet is enough to destroy all 
that is mortal of him, but no shot, nor shell, nor steel can 
touch that life in others which will survive so Ions: as there 
s hall be a single Zouave to bring his tattered flag into the 
field, when the roll-call of his regiment is read after the 
contest is over. 

In character. Col. Ellsworth was richly endowed both 
by nature and by cultivation. K, as was once supposed, 
when the scarlet uniform of the Zouave was thous-ht to be 
a symbol of his fiery nature, to be counted worthy of this 
name, is to be ferocious as well as brave, brutal as well as 
d auntless, a sort of human tiger, without even the velvet 
over the claws, then Col. Ellsworth was no model Zouave. 
He was brave to a fault. There seemed to be no such word 
as fear in his vocabulary, because there was no corresponding 
feeling in his heart. He was a dashing and brilliant officer, 
always as ready to set an example as to utter a command ; 
but his bravery was made courage — true royal courage — 
by the invigorating influence of moral principle. It was 
always a prominent point in his military creed, that the 
effective soldier must observe the rules of morality as well 
as the articles of war ; and his original company of Zouaves 
put to shame many a soldier of milder title, by their rigid 
abstinence from vicious indulgence. 

He was distinguished by his power of control over his 
subordinates. If he was ever thought severe and distant, 
his severity was always praised in the end, and his distance 
only seemed to temper the love of his soldiers with respect. 
In discipline he was no martinet, yet, his discipline was 
more perfect than if he had been. It is doubtful whether 
any mere martinet could have controlled the regiment he 
raised in the city of N"ew York as he did. Men called 
them, ironically, his "pet lambs." Whatever else is true 
of them, they followed, obeyed, and loved him as if they 



65 

had been a peaceful fold, and he their shepherd. The 
tidings of his death were received by them first with a storm 
of vengeance, then with a softer rain of tears. 

He was a man of original and independent mind. His 
system of tactics was in many particulars new ; his pub- 
lished work is not a mere translation from foreign sources. 
Had he lived, he would doubtless have shown his original- 
ity in the manoeuvres of the battlefield and the management 
of the campaign. 

Added to his other soldierly qualities, was a spirit of heroic 
self-devotion. He was always ready to sacrifice his own 
interests to the cause he loved, and to the country he was 
sworn to defend. When attending President Lincoln on 
his journey to Washington, he was assiduous in providing 
for his comfort, and removing all causes of danger or an- 
noyance. This was a journey which he supposed might 
be fraught with peril, and he was heard to say, that if it 
became necessary to lay down his life in defending that of 
the president elect, he should not hesitate a moment to do 
it. It is significant that after he had fallen, when his 
clothing was removed, a patriotic medal was found hanging 
upon his breast and stained with his blood. Some soldiers 
carry in that sacred place a lock of hair cut from some 
dear head, or a miniature faintly portraying the features of 
some beloved friend whose shrine is in the heart which 
beats beneath the picture. So might the gallant Ellsworth 
have done ; if he did not, it was not because his heart was 
an empty shrine. We are not told what else was found 
above that heart when it had ceased to beat, but this was 
found there, — a golden medal bearing this inscription — 
Non solum nobis sed pro imtria. 

Col. Ellsworth was a man of tender affections and quick 
sensibilities. When on the eve of his tour to the East, last 
summer, his only brother, a member of his command, was 
attacked by a violent and contagious disease. Col. Ells- 
worth watched over him day and night with incessant care, 
until a proper regard for the health of his command forced 
9 



6Q 

him, at their solicitation, to refrain ; and when at length 
the brother died, and I was called to attend his funeral, I 
found no stoical mourner beside the coffin, nor in the tears 
then shed could I find the mockery of grief And when 
I read that letter written by the surviving son to his parents, 
on the evening before that fatal day in Alexandria, closing 
with these tender words : 

" My darling and ever loved parents, good bye. God 
bless, protect and care for you," 

I was reminded of a remark which he dropped at his 
brother's funeral, when expressing his grief at his loss, be- 
cause they had come together to this city, hoping to provide 
an evening home for their aged parents. Those parents 
are destined to close their eyes upon the world in the same 
brown cottage which has sheltered them so long. There 
will be no stalwart arm to bear them up when the grass- 
h opper becomes a burden, but when they come to totter 
along the path which leads from the cottage to the grave- 
yard, looking first at the empty cradle where the babe once 
lay, and then at the turf beneath which the man reposes, 
they will have this to console them, that they gave birth 
to a hero, and that it was no small part of his nobility that 
he loved them so well. 

It will console them, too, to think that his religious 
sensibilities had not been destroyed hj contact with a 
selfish world or an irreligious camp. They will often read 
over and think over, when memory has taken the words 
into her keeping, those precious lines in that last letter, 
written when the premonition of death fell like a shadow 
athwart the page : 

" Whatever may happen, cherish the consolation that I 
was engaged in the performance of a sacred duty : and to- 
night, thinking over the probabilities of the morrow and 
the occurrences of the past, I am perfectly content to accept 
whatever my fortune may be, confident that He who noteth 
even the fall of a sparrow, will have some purpose, even in 
the fate of one like me." 

It is said by his companions, that when his brother lay sick 



67 

in tlie armory, he was seen repeatedly to kneel beside his 
bed in prayer ; that he would rise in the night again and 
again, and seeming to forget that others were near, would 
break out into earnest and audible petitions to God for 
the life of his brother. In saying this, I am not claiming 
that he was faultless. I offer no decision as to his religious 
character as judged by Him before whom the heavens are 
unclean; but this I will say, that he was not one of those 
who think it unbefitting the soldier to look out sometimes 
into the mysterious future ; who regard prayer as a mock- 
ery, and trust in God as a sentimental delusion. 

Believing as we do in an overruling Providence, there is 
something mysterious in his death. Had the list of all our 
military officers been laid before us, and had we been 
directed to run the pen through the name of him who could 
best be sacrificed at Alexandria, surely, surely we should 
not have obliterated the name of Ellsworth. And had that 
name been blotted for us by some prophetic pen, and the 
mode of his death had been left to us, we should have chosen, 
last of all, that he should perish by the hand of an assassin. 
We would have put him at the head of his regiment, and 
had him cheer on his soldiers to some glorious achievement. 
We would have had him fall as the gallant Wolfe fell on 
the heights of Abraham, while the glad shout, " They fly, 
they fly," should resound in his dying ear. But God has 
taught us that He can spare whom we cannot, and that 
there is " glory " enough in a patriot's death, though it 
come not upon the scarlet field. 

To us his life seems to have gone out at its brilliant be- 
ffinninff. It was like a rocket bursting at the commence- 
ment of its flight, when it bids fair to touch the stars. God 
has taug-ht us that He can afford to have some brilliant 
lives go out when they have but begun. To us it seems 
that had he lived he would have made a most accomplished 
general. God is teaching us that His instruments may 
sometimes be more effectual by breaking in His baud, just 
as He begins to use them. We look mournfully over the 
laud, aud ask who will take the place of Ellsworth at the 



68 

head of his wild brigade. Who will carry out the system he 
had so ably inaugurated ? But God is teaching us not to be 
too anxious for the future, by the calm serenity with which 
He strikes the knell of those whom men value most, when 
the inevitable hour is come. 

Possibly we may yet be able to see, when the tangled skein 
of future providences shall have been smoothed into the 
straighter lines of history, precisely how his death was of 
more use to his country than his life could have been. Al- 
ready we see how profoundly it has stirred the patriotic 
feeling of the land. Since the blood of Massachusetts red- 
dened the streets of Baltimore, nothing has occurred which 
has so contributed to rouse and consolidate an already 
united North. Had Ellsworth fallen in battle, he would 
have been but one of many, and the attention of the coun- 
try would have been divided by a long and bloody list. 
The bulletin would have read, perhaps, " Alexandria is 
taken and a hundred lives were lost." Now it reads, " Alex- 
andria is taken and Ellsworth is dead." And history will 
perpetuate it thus: "On the 24th of May, Alexandria was 
taken and Ellsworth was slain." Like the single cardinal 
flower in the meadow, drawing all eyes to itself, the name 
of Ellsworth will glow like an ensanguined spot upon the 
historic page, and thus it may turn out that we shall unite 
in saying that it was not only better for his country but 
more glorious for himself that he alone should die. 

Soldiers ! there are no " chances " in war. There are 
sudden deaths ; there are fearful wounds. There is pesti- 
lence stealing into a tent at midnight, as well as cannon 
shot dashing through solid columns in the day. Before 
either of them the soldier may fall, but he deceives him- 
self who talks, when he enlists, of " taking the chances of 
war." I heard of a clergyman who prayed, not long since, 
that every bullet might have its billet, and so carry the 
message of death to the traitor's heart. Every bullet has 
its billet, whether it rushes from the rifle of the patriot or 
of the traitor, in this important sense, that all things are 
ruled or overruled by God. Fear not, then, when you go 



69 

forth to the contest, if you are called beneath the sulphurous 
curtams of the battle, lest by a sudden death the great pur- 
poses of your life should be broken off. Your purposes 
may be, but not God's purposes respecting you. As in 
the case of the lamented Ellsworth, the full circle of life 
may be rounded at the age of twenty-five, and when that 
circle is swept, be it sooner or later, it is time for us to die. 
If it be the will of God that you should perish amid the 
providences oiwdiV, I could not ask that you be spared, though 
we should miss you and mourn for you. But I can ask, 
and will, that you may be prepared to die, by repentance 
toward God and faith in his dear Son. Then we can dis- 
miss you without a fear, for then to give up your Hfe for 
your country will be but to march in triumph through the 
gates of bliss. We may not be permitted to welcome you 
back with a laurel wreath, but Christ shall welcome you 
with a starry crown. 

Let us all pledge ourselves anew to-day, to our country 
and to our country's God. On this holy Sabbath — in this 
hall, where, to-day, the altar of worship is erected beside 
the altar of liberty, while these faces of the long line of 
the presidents of these United States — which we hope to 
keep united yet — look down upon us, let us pledge our- 
selves anew, by the memory of Ellsworth, to our country 
and our country's God ! 



" Dulce est pro Patria mori." 

ORDER OF EXERCISES 



OHiESOFTlUTECOLlOLLSWOm, 

In Bryan Hall, Chicago, Sunday, June 2, 1861. 



fl© ''^MlwMiW liplim/-'^ %j Hi I^IgM imti iaii,j 

Composed erpressly for the occasion by A. J. Vaas. 

1. Invocation, By Rev. R. H. Clarkson. 

JVIusic "by the dioir. 



Dread Jehovali ! God of nations 1 
From tliy temple in the skies, 

Hear thy people's supplications, 
Now for their deliverance rise. 

Tho' our sins, our hearts confounding, 
Long and loud for vengeance call, 

Thou hast mercy more abounding, 
Jesus' blood can cleanse them all. 



Let that love vail our transgression ; 

Let that blood our guHt efface ; 
Save our nation from oppression, 

Save from spoU om- chosen place. 

Lo ! with deep contrition turning, 
Humbly at thy feet we bend ; 

Hear us, fasting, praying, mourning. 
Hear us, spare us, and defend. 



Prayer, By Rev. Dr. Tiffany. 

Music, By the Choir, 

I would not live alway ; I ask not to stay 
Where storm after storm rises dark o'er the way ; 
The few lurid mornings that dawn on iis here. 
Are enough for life's woes — full enough for its cheer. 

I would not live alway ; no, welcome the tomb. 
Since Jesus has lain there I di'cad not its gloom ; 
There sweet be my rest, till He bid me arise, 
To haU Him in triumph, descending the skies. 

I would not live alway, away from my God, 

Away from yon heaven, that blissful abode ; 

Where the rivers of pleasure flow o'er the bright plains. 

And the noontide of glory eternally reigns. 

Where the saints of all ages in harmony meet, 
Their Savior and brethren transported to greet ; 
While the anthems of rapture unceasingly roll. 
And the smile of the Lord is the feast of the soul. 



4. Sermon, 
B. Music, . . . 



By Rev. Z. M. Humphrey. 
By the Choir. 



My country 1 'tis of thee. 
Sweet land of Liberty, 

Of thee I sing ; 
Land where my fathers died ; 
Laud of the Pilgrim's pride ; 
From every mountain side. 

Let Freedom ring. 

My native country ! thee. 
Land of the noble Free, 

Thy name I love ; 
I love thy rocks and rills. 
Thy woods and templed hUls ; 
My heart with rapture thrills. 

Like that above. 



6. Benediction, 

GEN. R. K. SWIFT, 



Marshal. 



Let music swell the breeze. 
And ring from all the trees 

Sweet Freedom's song ; 
Let mortal tongues awake, ' 
Let all that breathe partake ; 
Let rocks their silence break. 

The sound prolong. 

Our father's God ! to Thee, 
Author of Liberty ! 

To Thee we sing ; 
Long may our land be bright 
With Freedom's holy light. 
Protect us by Thy might, 

Great God, our King. 

By Rev. Paul Anderson. 

S. SEXTON, 

Pros, of 'the Day. 



APPENDIX. 



RECEPTIOI^r OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 

To THE Committee of Arrangements for the Reception 

OF THE President Elect. 
Gentlemen : 

Being charged with the responsibility of the safe con- 
duct of the President elect, and his suite to their destina- 
tion, I deem it my duty, for special reasons which you will 
readily comprehend, to offer the following suggestions : 

First: The President elect will under no circumstances 
attempt to pass through any crowd until such arrangements 
are made as will meet the approval of Col. Ellsworth, who 
is charged with the responsibility of all matters of this 
character, and to facilitate this, you will confer a favor by 
placing Col. Ellsworth in communication with the chief of 
your escort, immediately upon the arrival of the train. 

SECOND : arrangement OF CARRIAGES : 

First Carriage, 

The President Elect, 

Col. Lamon, or other Members of his Suite, 

One or two members of the Escort or Committee. 

Second Carriage, 
Col. E. V. Sumner, U. S. A., 
Maj. D. Hunter, U. S. A., 
Hon. N. B. Judd, of Illinois, 
Hon. David Davis, of Illinois. 



72 

Third Carriage^ 

Col. E. E. Ellsworth, 

Capt. Hazzard, 

John Gr. Mcolay, Esq., Private Secretary, 

Member of the Escort. 

Fourth Carriage, 

Eobt. T. Lincoln, 

John M. Hay, Assistant Secretary, 

Two Members of the Escort. 

The other members of the suite may be arranged at 
your pleasure by your committee on the cars. 

Two carriages will be required to convey Mrs. Lincoln 
and family and her escort from the cars. 



ARRANGEMENT OF ROOMS : 

Mr. Lincoln's secretaries will require rooms contiguous 
to the President elect. 

A private dining room with table for six or eight persons. 

Mr. Wood will also require a room near the President 
elect, for the accommodation of himself and secretary. 

The other members of the suite will be placed as near 
as convenient. 

For the convenience of the committee, a list of the names 
of the suite arranged in their proper order is appended. 

Trusting, gentlemen, that inasmuch as we have a com- 
mon purpose in this matter, the safety, comfort and con- 
venience of the President elect, these suggestions will be 
received in the spirit in which they are offered. 

I have the honor to be your Obedient Servant, 

W. S. WOOD, 

Superintendent 



73 



CALL TO EQUIP FIRE ZOUAVES. 

To THE Citizens of New York. 

A regiment of volunteers, to be composed of members 
of the New York Fire Department, and to be commanded 
by Col. Ellsworth (late of Chicago Zouaves), is now forming 
to aid the general government in the suppression of 
rebellion, and the citizens of New York are- earnestly 
requested to aid them, by advancing the necessary funds 
to complete the arrangements, and provide the necessary 
uniforms, equipments, &c. 

The following named gentlemen are authorized to re- 
ceive subscriptions : 

Jno. Decker, Chief of the Fire Department, 21 Elizabeth Street. 
Wm. H. Wickham, President Fire Department, Collins' Wharf, foot 

of Canal Street, and 54 South Street. 
A. J. Delatour, Vice-President, 25 J Wall Street. 
J. R. Piatt, Secretary Fire Department, 79 Murray Street. 
Henry A. Burr, President Board of Trustees, corner Cliff and 

Frankfort Streets. 
Geo. F. Nesbit, Secretary Board of Trustees, corner Pearl and Pine 

Streets. 
John S. Giles, Treasurer, 34 Elizabeth Street. 
Zophar Miles, Trustee, 144 Front Street. 
A. F. Ockershausen, Trustee, 21 Rose Street. 
James Y. Watkins, Trustee, 16 Catherine Street. 
James Kelly, 32 Chambers Street, and 21 Irving Place, Treasurer. 
Henry B. Venn, 384 Bowery. 

David Millikin, Ex-President of the Fire Department. 
William Wright, of Maifcland & Co., 65 Beaver Street. 
John A. Gregier, Mercantile Insurance Co., 65 Wall Street. 
Owen W. Brennan, 88 Elm Street. 

A. F. Ockershausen, 
Chairman. 

George F. Nesbit, 

Secretary. 
10 



74 



ACTION OF THE FIEE DEPAETMENT 

Of New Yokk, 1861. 

A meeting of the Committee recently appointed by the 
Fire Department to superintend the equipment and 
departure of the First Regiment Fireman Zouaves, (Col. 
Ellsworth,) was held at the Astor House yesterday after- 
noon, A. F. Ockershausen acting as chairman. The 
following preamble and resolutions were unanimously 
adopted : 

Whereas^ This Committee (who so recently aided in 
raising and organizing the above regiment, to go forth in 
defence of our Constitution, our Union and our Flag), 
having learned, with deep sorrow, of the death of Colo- 
nel Ellsworth, while in the discharge of his duty, and 
while hauling down the flag of traitors, do most deeply 
sympathize with his afilicted family and friends, and the 
regiment he so ably commanded in his lamentable dis- 
aster. A gallant, brave and energetic officer has fallen 
in his Country's cause, and the State and the Nation 
mourn his loss, therefore 

Resolved^ That this Committee will attend the funeral 
obsequies of the late Col. Ellsworth, and they invite the 
Trustees, the President and officers and ex-officers, the 
Fire Department generally, to join in carrying their 
respects to the soldier who chose to command a regi- 
ment of the New York Firemen, and has proved himself 
worthy of the trnst reposed in him. 

Resolved^ That a Committee of six from this bod}- be 
appointed to proceed to Washington, to take charge of 
the honored remains, and escort them to this city, or 
such other place as the family and friends of the deceased 
may designate. 

Resolved^ That a Committee of five be appointed with 
power to make such arrangements as they may deem 
necessary upon the receipt of the remains in the city. 



75 

The Committee appointed to take charge of the body 
on its arrival in the city, organized by the appointment 
of A. Delatour, No. 25| Wall street, as Chairman, and 
James Kelly, Receiver of Taxes, Secretary. 

The following gentlemen comprise the Committee of 
arrangements : John Decker, Chief of the F. D., Henry 
B. Vern, Henry A. Burr, Zophar Mills, James G. Wat- 
kins, and Geo. F. ]S"esbitt. 



MEETING OF COLUMBIAN ENGINE CO., NO. 14. 

At a special meeting of the company, held at the Ea- 
gine House, on Sunday, the 26th inst., the following pre- 
amble and resolutions were unanimously adopted : 

Whereas, This company, in common with our brother 
members of the department, having embraced the idea 
of forming a Zouave regiment, feel peculiar pride in the 
remembrance of the fact that the gallant Col. Ellsworth, 
at the time of his death, wore upon his breast the badge 
of this company, which had been solicited by him from 
one of our members. Therefore be it 

Resolved, That a Committee of three be appointed from 
this company to wait upon the Board of Fire Commis- 
sioners, and solicit from them, that the badge of the Fire 
Department, which Colonel Ellsworth wore at the time of 
his death, be presented to his father. 

Resolved, That they also, be solicited not to issue a 
badge of the same number, in order that it may remain 
through all time, a silent testimonial of heroic daring, and 
departed worth. 

Resolved, That we deeply sympathize with the bereaved, 
parents of Colonel Ellsworth, and fondly hope and trust 
that their loss may prove his gain. 



76 



THE PALL BEARERS OF COL. ELLSWORTH. 

Hon. Hamilton Fish, 
John Jacob Astor, Jr., . 
GrEN. Prosper M. Wetmore, 

Union Defence Committee. 

Col. Edward Hincken, 

Col. Fred Townsend, 

Col. Wm. H. Allen, 

Col. Asboth, 

Robert T. Hawes, Comptroller of the City of Kew York. 

Wm. H. Wickham, President of the Fire Department. 

Henry A. Burr, President of the Board of Trustees. 

John Decker, Chief Engineer of the Fire Department. 

Wm. M. Tweed, Commissioner of the Fire Department. 

George F. JSTesbit, 
Zophar Mills, 
James Kelly. 

Zouave Fireman Com. 



ELLSWORTH'S FUNERAL IN TROY— THHITEEN 
YEARS AGO. 

[FROM THE troy TIMES, MAY 27, 1861.] 

The remains of the gallant soldier arrived here about 
11 o'clock. They were brought upon the steamer McDonald, 
which was draped in mourning, attended by the Troy com- 
mittee, the guard of honor detailed from Washington to 
escort the corpse, committees from the New York fire 
department and common council, Albany firemen and 
zouaves, several citizens of Albany, and the following gentle- 
men who were specially detailed by President Lincoln to ac- 
company the deceased to Mechanicville : Augustus Haight, 
Washington ; Col. J. H. Stover, New York ; Hon. E. C. 



77 

Larned, S. F. Gale and L. Boomer, Chicago. The body- 
was dressed in a full-dress uniform, and was contained in 
a splendid rosewood coffin, which was beautifully decked 
with evergreens. The sword and cap of the deceased lay 
upon the coffin. The body was received at the foot of 
Liberty street by the Troy military, firemen, common 
council and citizens. The docks were lined with people, 
all manifesting the most solemn and heartfelt sympathy 
with the occasion. After a delay of about half an hour, 
caused by some misunderstanding as to the position of 
some of the companies, a procession was formed as follows : 

Gen. Allen, marshal. 

Police of Troy, uniform caps and black clothes. 

Doring's band. 

Troy City Rifle Company. 

Columbian Guards. 

Republican Guards. 

Wool Guards. 

Jackson Guards. 

Cohoes and Waterford Millitary. 

Albany Zouave Cadets, "A" Co. 10th Regt. K G. S. 
N. Y., with drum corps. 

Troy City Artillery. 

Col. Lawton. 

Hearse, drawn by four splendid black horses, flanked 

by Engine Company No. 1 and Troy Citizens' 

Corps. 

Lieut. Laflin and Private Boies of Ellsworth's Chicago 
Zouaves. 

Guard of honor from Ellsworth's Fire Regiment, in- 
cluding Francis E. Brownell. 

Carriages containing father of deceased and New York 
committee. 

Gen. Wool and staflf. 



78 

Officers of Col. Frisby's Regiment. 

Troy and N'ew York Common Councils 

Carriages with committees. 

Schreiber's band, Albany. 

Delegation of Albany Firemen. 

Engine Company 'No. 2. 

Washington Volunteers. 

West Tro}'^ Fire Department. 

Albany delegation of citizens. 

Troy Drum Corps, under command of Capt. Sherman of 
Ellsworth's Chicago Zouaves. 

The procession moved down Washington to Second, 
up Second to Broadway, and marched directly to the depot. 
The streets were lined with spectators, and it was no un- 
common thing to see ladies weeping at the windows as 
the funeral cortege passed. Corporal Brownell rode upon 
the seat of the hearse, and carried with him the secession 
flag for which the brave Ellsworth lost his life. Many of 
his friends shook hands with him during the march to the 
depot. The bells were tolled as the procession moved 
through the city, and an air of solemn stillness, broken 
only by the funeral strains of the band, pervaded the streets 
through which it passed. Brownell lost a beautiful gold 
flag presented to him by Hon. D. E. Sickles, in New York, 
but was subsequently so fortunate as to have it returned 
to him. — Gen. BuUard of Waterford, Cols. Phelps and 
McKean of Saratoga and Saxe of this city, with the staff 
of Gen. Allen, flanked the hearse during the march. The 
hearse was drawn into the depot, and the body was at once 
placed on board a special train of cars for Mechanicville. 
The train consisted of twenty-five cars, under charge of 
Conductor McCaffrey, for the conveyance of all who chose 
to go up and take part in the last sad rites of sepulture, 
and was filled with nearly all connected with the procession. 



79 

All the military, civic bodies and delegations of firemen, 
with engine company JSTo. 1, as a body, attended the remains 
to Mechanicville. The demonstration throughout was a 
noble one, and was worthy of the young hero. The pro- 
cession was most imposing, and it was indeed grateful 
to witness the depth of sentiment expressed by all classes, 
and the generous regard which was so cheerfully mani- 
fested. The demonstration was alike a tribute of respect 
to the deceased and the cause in which he lost his life. 



LETTER OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 

The following letter was written to the father and mother 
of Ellsworth. 

In the untimely loss of your noble son, our affliction is 
scarcely less than that of your own. So much of promised 
usefulness to one's country, and of bright hopes for one's 
self and friends, have rarely been so suddenly darkened as 
in his fall. In size, in years and youthful appearance a boy 
only, his power to command men was surprisingly great. 
This power, combined with fine intellect and indomitable 
energy, and a taste altogether military, constituted in him, 
as seemed to me, the best matured talent in that depart- 
ment I ever knew, and yet he was singularly modest and 
deferential in his social intercourse. My acquaintance with 
him began less than two years ago ; yet through the latter 
half of the intervening period, it was as intimate as the dis- 
parity of our ages and my engrossing engagements would 
permit. To me he appeared to have no indulgences or 
pastimes, and I never heard him utter an intemperate or 
profane word. What was conclusive of his good heart, he 
never forgot his parents. The honors he labored for so 
laudably, and in the sad end so gallantly gave his life, he 
meant for them no less than for himself. 

In the hope that it may be no intrusion upon the sacred- 
ness of your sorrow, I have ventured to address this tribute 



80 



to the memory of my young friend and your brave and 
early fallen child. May God give you the consolation that 
is beyond all earthly power. 

Sincerely your friend in common affliction, 

A. Lincoln. 



The following is the draft of an unsigned letter, written 
but not officially transmitted : 

Executive Mansion, March, 1861. 
To the Secretary of "War. 

Sir : you will favor me by issuing an order detailing 
Lieut. E. E. Ellsworth, of the 1st Dragoons, for special 
duty as adjutant and inspector general of milita affairs, 
for the United States, and, insofar as existing laws will ad- 
mit, charge him with the transaction, under your direction, 
of all business pertaining to the militia, to be conducted as 
a separate bureau, of which Lieut. Ellsworth will be chief : 
with instructions to take measures for promoting a uniform 
system of organization, drill, equipment, etc., of the TJ. S. 
militia, and to prepare a system of instruction for the 
militia, to be distributed to the several states. You will 
please assign him suitable office rooms, furniture, etc., and 
provide him with a clerk and messenger, and furnish him 
such facilities in the way of printing, stationery, access to 
records, etc., as he may desire for the successful prosecution 
of his duties ; and also provide, if you please, in such man- 
ner as will best answer the purpose, for a monthly payment 
to Lieut. E., for this extra duty, sufficient to make his 
pay and emoluments equal that of a major of cavalry. 



81 



GEN. BANKS'S LETTER TO A TROJAN" — HIS 
OPnnON OF ELLSWORTH. 

Gen. E. F. Bullard of this city (Troy), has received the fol- 
lowing letter from Gen. N. P. Banks, which explains itself: 

Boston, May 6th, 1874. 

Senate Chamber. 
My Dear Sir : It would give me very great pleasure to 
deliver the oration at the dedication of the Ellsworth Monu- 
ment, the 27th instant, did my engagements permit. But 
I find it will not be in my power. I knew Colonel Ells- 
worth well, and appreciated the heroic traits of character 
which he exhibited in his short but glorious career. I 
regret deeply that I cannot join his friends and admirers 
upon this interesting occasion. "With most sincere thanks 
for your kind remembrance, I remain your friend, &c. 

N. P. Banks. 
E. F. Bullard, Esq., Troy, N. Y. 



ELLSWORTH. 
[May 24, 1861.] 
by william h. burleigh. 

Who keeps his faith in God and man, 
By sore temptation unsubdued ; 
Who trusts the Right and loves the Good, 

Lives long — however brief his span. 

True life is measured not by days, 

Nor yet by deeds, though bravely wrought 
Its truest gauge is noblest thought, 

And this commands our highest praise. 
11 



^2 



So, though men say, " Alas ! how brief 

His course whose death we mourn to-day ! " 
The prescient soul must answer, " Nay — 

Ye wrong him with this bitter grief." 

What seems our loss hath this redress — 
His life, by generous will and act. 
No dream, but an eternal fact, 

Is rounded into perfectness. 

He is — not, was : — the pulse that beat 

But yesterday within his frame. 

To-day is like a living flame 
In every manly breast we meet. 

Poured through thousand hearts, the life 
That ebbed in his, asserts its sway. 
An impulse that forbids delay, 

When Duty summons to the strife. 

And hosts, by that grand impulse moved, 
With eager haste their weapons clasp, 
And swear to save from Treason's grasp 

The country and the cause he loved. 

So sanctified by martyr-blood, 
To us that cause is doubly dear ; 
And who, remembering him, will fear 

To stand for Right as Ellsworth stood ? 

For faith like his its like begets. 
And courage, though the hero die 
Doth multiply and multiply 

In large excess of our regrets. 

And thus one soul, that never swerved 
From duty, fills a land with light ; 
And countless arms are nerved for fight 

By one strong arm that death unnerved. 

So, best . . . since so, the largest good 
Results — nor need we sum the cost, 
For lives so lost are never lost 

To Freedom saved by martyr-blood. 



For bim, henceforth his country claims 
The ground as holy where he sleeps, 
And, like a loving mother, keeps 

His name among her dearest names. 

And when Love bids his monument 
Lift its pure column to the air, 
No fitter legend can it bear 

Than his brave words — "I am content 1 " 

" Content — whatever fate be mine — 

A sacred duty bids me go, 

And though the issue none can know, 
I hear and heed the voice divine. 

" Content — since confident that He 
To whom the sparrow's fall is known, 
Will have some purpose of his own 

Even in the fate of one like me. " ^ 

golden words ! faith sublime ! 

spirit breathing holy breath ! 

For such an one there is no death, 
But crescent potencies through time ! 

And still, where loyal arms roll back 
The crimson tide of traitorous war, 
His memory, like a beacon-star. 

Shall shine above the battle's rack — 

A flame, the patriot's heart to cheer 
And give new temper to his sword — 
A fire, to blast the rebel horde 

And melt their courage into fear. 

And when — Rebellion's power subdued — 
Shall dawn for us a better day. 
When Peace again resumes her sway 

And links the bands of brotherhood — 



' la the last letter addressed to his parents, penned but a few hours 
previous to his assassination, Col. Ellsworth says : " Whatever may happen, 
cherish the consolation that I was engaged in the performance of a sacred 
duty ; and to-night, thinking over the probabilities of the morrow and the 
occurrences of the past, I am perfectly content to accept whatever my for- 
tune may be, confident that He who noteth even the fall of a sparrow will 
have some purpose even in the fate of one like me." 



84 



From North to Soutli, from East to West, 
His name shall be a household word, 
Revered and loved wherever heard. 

And treasured with our worthiest. 

So, for his land, the good he meant. 
Won in the triumph of the Right, 
His spirit, starred with Heaven's own light. 

Once more shall say — " I am content \" 



ELLSWORTH'S AVENGERS. 

BY A. LORA HUDSON. 

Down where the patriot army, . 

Near Potomac's side. 
Guards the glorious cause of freedom. 

Gallant Ellsworth died. 
Brave was the noble chieftain : 

At his country's call 
Hastened to the field of battle, 

And was first to fall. 

Strike, freemen, for the Union ! 

Sheath your swords no more 
While remains in arms a traitor 

On Columbia's shore ! 

Entering the traitor city 

With his soldiers true. 
Leading up the Zouave column. 

Fixed became his view. 
See that Rebel flag is floating 

O'er yon building tall ; 
Spoke he, while his dark eye glistened, 

Boys that flag must fall ! 
Strike, freemen, &c. 

Quickly from its proud position, 

That base flag was torn. 
Trampled 'neath the feet of freemen, 

Circling Ellsworth's form ; 



85 



See him bear it down the landing, 

Past the traitor's door, 
Hear him groan ! Oh, God, they've shot him ! 

Ellsworth is no more. 

Strike, freemen, &c. 

First to fall, thou youthful martyr, 

Hapless was thy fate ; 
Hasten we as thy avengers 

From thy native state. 
Speed we on, from town and city, 

Not for wealth or fame. 
But because we love the Union, 

And our Ellsworth's name. 
Strike, freemen, &c. 

Traitors' hands shall never sunder 

That for which you died. 
Hear the oath our lips now utter 
Thou our nation's pride. 
By our hopes of yon bright heaven, 

By the land we love, 
By the God who reigns above us, 

We'll avenge thy blood. 
Strike, freemen, &c. 



